the she-punishers story( tottally revised)
by gunslinger21
Summary: the life of gypsy karter beginning in the teenage years. story involves avengers and the punisher is a main character later on. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! im begging you! or as my asgardian friend would say: i bessech thee to convey your thoughts in the midgardian fashion of reviews. thankyou thor. that translation was much, much, appreciated.
1. Chapter 1: welcome to my life

Gypsy...Gypsy wake up..." she felt strong arms pushing her awake dragging her out of the dream world and back into reality. she jerked into a sitting position panting as the last remnants of her dream disappeared lost in the cool night air that shrouded the two. she could see the moon through the leaves in the trees that stood tall surrounding their hideout. really their 'hideout' was just two bedrolls and their backpack. but it was all they had, that and each other. now gypsy placed a white hand on the boys face leaning over her, he looked eeerie in the shifting shadows eyes wide, dark circles in soft shadows below his eyes. "whats wrong jack?" her brother leaned back on the balls of his feet. "were leaving. now. weve been here too long as it is...and i know they are close." gypsy hurriedly stood up and collected her stuff shoving it into the backpack with their dwindling supplies. jack quickly went about messing up the campground, erasing all signs of their presence. he straightened and put a tender hand on her shoulder looking deep into her ice blue eyes. "its okay gypsy, i told you that id protect you no matter what and i intend to keep that promise." he smiled determination ethed across his brow, but despite his positivity the girl felt the desperation hanging above them like a vulture always there. always waiting. one misstep and it would be feeding on her too soft flesh. "no matter what." gypsy nodded numbly and the two set off. silently weaving through the trees in the dark woods.

with the rugged path stretching long before the two siblings both were left alone with their thoughts. for gypsy it was the same thoughts that had been running through her mind for the last month. her fathers angry face leering over her screaming. her older brother, jess, stepping in front of her pushing their father aside. and then...and then...the blood as anthony karter, gypsys father smashed jess' head into the brick wall. her brothers skull caved in and red blood flew everywhere. she remembered screaming but not much else. jack had grabbed her hand and dragged her out the back door. since then theyd never stopped running. jack was twenty and their father had framed him for the murder of jess. they knew they were hunted by the cops not only because of the alleged murder of jess but also because jack had apparently 'kidnapped' fifteen year old gypsy. gypsy was still legally in her fathers custody. so they ran. jack was all the girl had in the whole world.

their mother had died at gypsys birth. anthony had blamed gypsy for that too and she still bore the scars of his hate. not only on the outside but also on the inside. jack and jess had been her protectors since birth. jack had grown up far too fast all for her sake. hed taken blows for her countless times but never like the one jess took. the death blow.

instead of being a normal crazy teen playing video games and meeting girls hed spent all his time making plans, training, and making sure jess and gypsy were safe. gypsy knew he probably blamed himself for what had happened to jess but she knew it was her fault. anthony had never exploded that bad before. coming home drunk was a natural occurence beating his three children was aswell but killing jess?

gypsy was still shocked at the images that played through her mind. she silently begged it to stop letting tears stream down her cheeks until she could no longer see the slowly lightening path before her. she missed him so much. he had so much left to live for and he was so quickly and so cruelly snatched from this life. gypsy promised that she wouldnt let him die in vain. she would never forget him or his dreams.

jack finally allowed them to stop when he saw how exhausted gypsy was. he divied out the rations as they sat under the shade of an oak. once shed finished eating gypsy fell asleep, but jack couldnt. it felt like a knife was stabbing at his heart everytime he looked at his sister even in sleep her brow was etched in worry. he was supposed to protect her...how had it gotten this bad? he bit his lip watching her softly breathe in and out slumped haphazardly against the tree. this was all his fault but he didnt know how to fix it. he groaned softly slamming his head back against the tree he leaned onto. staring frustratedly up at the sky as though maybe it was its fault the two were in this mess. they couldnt run forever and jack knew that. but no matter how much planning the boy did, how much he thought it through, he simply couldnt come up wth a plan. it seemed had nowhere to go. no one they could trust. jack was a wanted man and gypsy...he looked over at her sleeping form. gypsy. maybe there were times when the only way to protect were to leave? if he was gone would gypsy have a better chance of making it alone? his face twisted. he couldnt do that to her. at this point it didnt matter to him if it was more dangerous if he was here, there was no way he was leaving her alone. he was still her brother and still her protector.

it was late evening when gypsy awoke. jack was sleeping, she knew shed have to be quiet not to wake him. she was the sound sleeper but he slept half awake ready to leap up and fight at the slightest sound. she stood up as quietly as she could but he still awoke looking up at her a question forming on his lips. "im going to take a quick swim. i feel filthy." she looked in disgust down at herself. jack nodded. "be back soon. we need to keep traveling." gypsy smiled encouragingly promised him she would and followed the sound of water to the stream. it felt glorious to get clean, the fresh crisp water washing away the grime and for a moment she could believe this was nothing more than a lovely vacation. that the two were simply camping having a wonderful time. but when she slipped back into her clothes the darker shades helping her camouflage she keenly felt like a runaway again. a dirty, filthy, ugly, runaway. she swallowed her disappointment put a bright face on and joined jack in collecting their things. then they set off again.

"i need you to stay here." jack stopped in his tracks suddenly. gypsy looked up at him in shock. what? "im going to collect more supplies. theres a city nearby. ill be back soon." he looked her straight inthe eyes. then slipped off the backpack and set it by her feet. "promise?" gypsy begged. grabbing his hand desprately. he nodded. "i promise." he said gravely. then turned around and started running. "stay here." he commaned pointing firmly at her then he kept running quickly disappearing over the next hill and out of sight. they were hiking on a farmers property currently. the cows stayed out of their way content to house the two runaways so long as they left them alone. gypsy sank down to the high grass in the field letting the sun beat against her face. she wasnt too worried only slightly. but that sense of dread was always present just like her beating heart, her head throbbed out a nervous rhythym of worry. her stomach clenched in nervous anxiety. she would wait. she didnt really have any other choice.

hours passed gypsy was starting to feel the desperation creep in. hes not coming back. he probably got arrested...or worse. now youre all alone. no one can save you now. her thoughts mocked her forcing her to pace just to dispell the nervous energy. she went back and forth. she should go find him. she should wait. she should go help him. she should wait. SHE SHOULD GO FIND HIM! she threw her hands to the air inwardly wanting to scream she hefted her backpack and ran in the direction hed disappeared to.


	2. Chapter 2: desperation

tasi

all the buildings, tall metal and glass structures looked the same. tasi wanted to scream. how was she supposed to understand all this? memorize it? -let alone eventually live there! she felt like giving up somedays. untill she looked into her guardians eyes and saw hope.

she was the only hope for their realm and he made that very clear to hr. he knew she could suceed he always had. the only thing that kept tasi going was that look of utter and complete trust in the aging mans eyes and her own die hard stubborness. still tasi turned away from the screen, her homework, and watched out the window.

for years their world had been slowly deteriorating their only hope was conquering midgard. so instead of being a normal child shed grown up with one purpose the only one of them still alive who could possibly latch onto a human. it had never been easy but shed never asked for easy. nor would she now. she had bravely squared her small shoulders and at only five years shunned other childrens company for her studies. now the children she barely knew were outside her window playing, ike she might have been, if she wasnt different. her heart used to ache at that sight. now she watched them with a certain numbness. the numbness of one whos come to accept her fate.

"tasi," her guardian, the only father figure shed ever known, spoke softly. "your time is almost come. midgard is almost ready. karter is almost ready." gypsy. the word rang softly through tasis mind. they were the only two who were a perfect match. they the only two who this would work for. and if it did work for them... the possibilitys came alive at her fingertips. she was so close yet so far away. worlds away. gypsy didnt know it was going to happen, tasi did. that thought made her bow her neck slightly under her guardians unwavering gaze. he placed a soft hand on her shoulder.

"come with me." his brows etched togeher slightly as he turned and tasi followed him. the hallways twisted and curved and tasi finally gathered the nerve to speak. "what happens if it doesnt work?" she met his gaze with her own strong one scarlett eyes boring into his watery grey. he pushed open a door without answering. they both headed into a large room. weapons lined the walls. midgardian weapons. tasi thought with more than just distaste.

"for centuries our world has been..." he started meeting her eyes at first then shifting his gaze down. dying. tasi thought. he was going to say dying. and it would be true. swollen stomachs and her people dying from starvation. they were weak and cut off from the other realms. there wasnt anyone to help them but themselves and so they had kept dying. it was a slow death but no more less painful than as if a more powerful realm had outrightly waged war against them. for the first time since...since forever tears sprang up into tasis eyes. she never cried. she was strong. invincible inside and out. but the pain in her guardians eyes made her want to cry. she took a deep breath forcing her tears back unshed, and straightening. she placed her hands on both of his shoulders forcing him to meet her eyes.

"this wont fail. i wont fail you. i promise." he searched her eyes as only the old and wise can search the younger generations. "midgard is weakening, we both know that. we CAN conquer." she forced a brave smile. a warriors smile. tasis smile. "im stubborn. they cant beat me." he turned away smiling softly as new hope began to fill his eyes. he turned towards a wall pulling out what would be her midgardian attire, and weapons. bestowing them upon her as the worlds greatest gift, which it basically was.

"you are strong my dear. your years are lies. you are young but you are wiser and have the strength of many great warriors. you have trained well. i couldnt have handpicked a better warrior myself. loyalty, bravery and strength my dear. but for you its deeper. you were born for this. its in your blood." tasis hands tightened around her bundle her eyes flickering down to study her gear then back up to meet his eyes. he squeezed her arm gently turned and left the room. leaving tasi alone with her thoughts.

five years later...

gypy never found jack. the last couple years had been pure hell. for a while she thought she was insane but her sanity still stubbornly clung to her. the only reason she hadnt cast it aside entirely was because she had some faint lingering hope that jack was still alive. she would feel it if he were gone. she would know. yet every night she stalked the darkened streets of one city after another like a caged beast. nothing and no one could help her. and the few who tried...well they were met with a swift fist and quite a few words. she didnt want help. she didnt want peace, happiness, joy, or any of those other things people strive for. she wanted her brother or she wanted nothing. the image of him leaving that last time still flashed unexpectedly in her mind. it still brought tears to her eyes. still forced her onto her knees with the weight of its painful memory. still set her to pounding her fists agaist the innocent concrete sidewalk, wishing she knew. wishing for him. eventually she came to accept her fate.

it was a lovely night but gypsy barely registered it. the perfect pinpoints of stars and the lovely curve of the crescent moon. standing atop the bluff with the seemingly eternal drop below reaching for nothing but rocks, she felt empty. there was no point anymore. jack was dead. he must be. no one knew what had happened to him. it had been five years...five long years, of hell, torment, and eternal pain. but now all that amounted to nothing. nothing at all. and gypsy didnt shed a single tear as she looked down the straight bluff. looked down on her fate. it ended quickly. she, leaping, pushing off with her toes and curving into a perfect dive as though deep clear waters awaited her and not jagged, glaring stones. no one would hear her. no one was around. and no one would care. not now not ever.


	3. Chapter 3: this is war

tasi

the messanger rushed in while tasi was in hand to hand combat with a new opponent. it reminded her of the midgardian saying something about falling harder if your bigger? tasi couldnt quite remember. but it must be true she thought as she looked down on the once towering, strong man. he was panting heavily. her instructor gave her an approving nod when she wished he would burst out into the applause she surely deserved. "not bad but you gave him far too many openings. why if he had been smarter as well as stronger you would be on the ground." tasi gritted her teeth biting back a snappy reply. she had done great! she knew she had. but he simply refused to give her any credit! "excuse me.." the messanger panted hands on his knees from running. "karters...ready...phase one treggar...needs you..." treggar was her guardian. phase one her mission. she didnt wait half a second she leapt towards the main headquarters. her feet, unlike midgardian feet, almost literally flew. seconds later she blew into the main room. treggar handed her her gear she threw on the trenchcoat already packed with her weapons of warfare. "update." she stated simply. strapping on the guns knives hand grenades, and other weapons shed come to familiarilty with.

"karters leaping. shes stayed in longer than we thought she would. shes tough but we dont have much time. she hits the ground its too late." while he spoke he readied the portal flipping switches and typing in the passcodes. the blue light glowed before her. stepping through that would be midgard. she knew she could never come back. knew this was her last time in this realm. in her home. she shook melancholy thoughts from her mind with a toss of her head black hair flying and landing lightly. this was her fate. there had never been any other. she quickly kissed her guardian on his cheek and without hesitating stepped through the portal. no last words.

what would drive someone to leap? tasi wondered. she wasnt one to care what people said or did, especially when she was on a mission. but still dying seemed really extreme. desperate was another word that came to mind. like her guardian, like herelf, maybe gypsy was like them except in a different way. they were desperate save those they loved...maybe gypsy didnt have anyone left. funny ho she always thought of her as gypsy and not simply karter as everyone else did. she pushed thoughts of the girl from her mind as she analyzed the scene. "nothing big...dont underestimate midgardians... just beause they cant kill you doesnt mean they cant kill us. be careful. watch your back but by all means keep your mind open... you are a warrior. always remember that." when her guardian looked into her eyes tali had felt the closest thing to loved as she ever had. she held on tightly to treggars image, held on tightly to his words as she set off through the slowly lightening forest. human. she was a human. she had to believe that. she was merely an actor on the stage of midgard her own life and the lives of her people hung in tjhe balance. her bootfalls muffled by the soft leaves scrunching beneath her feet. her breath puffed out in white wisps in the cool night air. the trees soared taller than she could have ever imagined. the sky went on forever. no wonder midgardians thought they were alone- living in a vast planet like this did suggest that lovely myth. well it was their wakeup call now. she was their wakeup call. she smiled grimly at the thought. she was ready. born ready.

gypsy

everything was a blur. was this hell? it felt like she was watching a movie seeing the world pass by before her eyes. she couldnt force herself to wakeup nor could she control the dream. she watched numbly as the city approached. the newyork skyline stabbing the sky. tall skyscrapers baring their teeth. challenging the blue endless sky to come any closer. one prick from those creatures would pierce its endless blue. gypsy didnt feel anything. not sad angry or even apathetic. it was like even her ability to have emotions had been stolen from her. she tried to remember what was going on. why wasnt she dead? or was she? the next image made her sure she was in hell. the city that never sleeps was bombardeed by exploding buildings. bombs that shot orange fire in spherical bursts making the strong skyscrapers fly like nothing more than a card tower inaptly built. the flames burned into gypsys eyelids untill her vision tilted blurring as everything rushed by at a high speed. but something was missing- the wind. gypsy didnt feel the wind pushing at her as she should with this kind of speed. screaming pedestrians raced in and out of her vision. like ghosts putting on a disenchanting, detached performance. gypsy wanted to look away but her view stayed steady. looking forward. gunfire. she was holding the gun. but it wasnt her hands, or her fingers pulling the trigger.

tasi

it was over. all over. shed done too much and she knew it. shed gone too far. for now she was hiding in the woods. but soon their authoritys would come after her. guilt pounded through her head. not because shed killed all those people, but because shed surely fail at her mission. it was thwarted just as soon as it had been birthed. that hurt more than anything else. and then something else...she felt the other girls pshyche...gypsys. she had thought gypsy would be as good as dead. or atleast that she wouldnt feel her. but she did. in a shuddering cold way she realized acutely that she was merely an other half that shed taken over her body. it was a creeping dread that accompanied that thought.

what did she think of her? she tried to ignore her presence but didnt know how to shu it out.

tasi had grown up to be numb to many things. she had always known her purpose. like one knows they will eventually die. but she had never thought it would be like this. she was in a world that was just as struggling as her own. she was destroying what could possibly be innocent peoples homes...innocent peoples lives. shed never known her mother nor her father, nor had she ever felt it as acutely as she did when she saw a crying mother carrying her young child through a building tasi had burned. love forced the mother to shield her daughter from the flames even as it cost her her life. tasi watched as though transfixed as first the mothers clothes then her still warm flesh caught on fire. she would never forget her anguished screams. yet tasi pressed on not so much as that first night but still a lot. she never looked back. she forgot most of the damage she did as she was doing it. some might call her heartless. but it wasnt all her fault. she was trained to think that these people were hertless. trained to think that if she didnt conquer them they would conquer her struggling realm. it was the only way. and tasi accepted it as truth. she never considered that she could be wrong. that treggar could be wrong or the leaders of her people. they were simply doing what they must. she never considered it untill one night.

frequently gypsy found herself shut out. she didnt know how it happened, but somedays shed simply skip over thoings. she culdnt remember what had happened it was almost like a whole scene of her life was skipped. was this what the rest of her life was going to be like? this madness? this watching her own should-be hands slaughter people, destroy buildings, and terrorize earth? whoever, or whatever, had control of her body was relentless they barely ever rested. by day they gathered supplies. by the cover of darkness the kept moving, always moving. at every city she wreaked a trail of destruction. these were the parts gypsy sometimes what she had seen was forever etched into her mind. along with what shed heard.


	4. Chapter 4:two sides of a story

days were a blur thats only purpose was to melt into nights. by night tasi had her mask, her cover, she crept through the dimly lit citys barely noticed untill the explosions came. the gunfire pounded the air. ringing out its own battle cry without the otherworlder having to say a word. she was becoming less and less attached to the beauty of this world. but osing that sight she was also losing part of herself. every explosion only served to numb and harden her heart. she was nothing but a machine- one purpose. she had her weapons, she had lost her conscience. she had left it somewhere in one of the buildings shed lit. or may be shed accidently hurled it with a hand grenade, or possibly i had been cast into the lead of one of the bullets in her gun and when she pulled the trigger her conscience embedded itself into another mans heart. not that it did him any good since it came with that fatal lead. she didnt feel remorse. nor did she ever consider again the emminent fact that she had to eventually get caught. for now she did as much as she could. it wasnt untill one day she butted heads with someone who didnt die under her careful barrage nor did he blow to fractions from her hand grenade. he carefully dodged and leapt out of the way.

"so we finally meet." his tone was neither mocking nor challenging. it was simply fact. as everything about the man seemed to be. pure fact. no embellishments, no stretching the truth. just hard facts.

"you might as well put that down." he waved an off hand gesture at her gun.

"you might as well put that away." she tilted her chin towards his colt as she slid the strap of her gun across her back. she was done with this place anyway.

sliding his gun into his belt the punisher shrugged non commitally. not that it mattered either way. if he wanted her dead. hed kill her fast enough. somehow he didnt think she was a threat. but hed been wrong before. why did fury always have to send him after the wacko vigilantes? if the pirate couldnt protect his city but had to employ the help of who the director of shield previously had viewed as his enemy-he must be pretty desperate. but castle was curious anyway. otherwise hell couldnt have dragged him into this. after all the information fury ad given him, who wouldnt be? she sure looked human...except for those vibrant red eyes. they glowed hotter than flames as they coolly rested upon him. no doubt gauging up his potential as a threat.

"i should warn you. youve gotten on the wrong radars. i dont know who you are and i dont much care. but when you mess with new york youre gonna have a hell of a lot of people wanting to take you out. 'cluding me." he didnt say it threateningly, but he figured a warning was better than trying to get her to SHIELD. he didnt doubt he could do it but he sure didnt want to be the one to place anyone in there. she stared him down one final time. then decided she didnt care.

"thanks for the warning." she said sarcastically. she slapped a bomb onto the wall. "heres one for you- you better get outta this building in less than three minutes or your going to have a hell of a lot of fire on your back." then she turned and left just like that her black form melted into the night. the punisher strode out of the building as well after carefully dismantling the bomb. he was sure the director would keep an eye on her. he was pretty sure she didnt intend to stop. and fury would probably be pretty pissed off when he found out the punisher didnt arrest this girl for him. frank saw no reason to. if she kept killing innocents hed take her out himself. last chance.

tali knew something was wrong days later. it started when she woke up. like someone was tugging at her skin. her vision kept shuddering red dots burning her eyelids whether they were open or closed. she had no one to turn to. and the pain kept growing worse. she curled up into a ball trying to shield herself from her invisible attacker. she felt on fire. maybe hours passed maybe only minutes, but it seemed like days as she lay there in agony. she wasnt sure if she screamed or if she silently suffered but through a red haze she vaguely saw herself being transported. strong arms lifted her off the pineneedled ground she fazed in and out. the world nothing more than pain and this misery she was in. the invincible tali being reduced to this? it was unthinkable. how treggar would be shamed. once she tried to pull herself out of it. forcing her body to sit up but just at that effort she screamed so loud until all she heard was her piercing voice and then she disappeared into the blackness of the dream world.

tali was in the air one minute. she wanted treggar her guardian. she wanted home. she wanted to be safe and know that the war wasnt at home. that she wasnt in midgard and that was somewhere in the distant hazy future. but something bid her stay. treggars voice. "tali, youre not done. you havent failed but you havent finished. my warrior, the battle is still raging. pain is part of that war. youve endured it bravely, but now you must listen to me. you must not resist the change. two sides of a story cannot exist without intertwiing," why did he always have to speak in parables? couldnt he just tell her what she needed to know? even in her fogged brain tali found strength to be annoyed. but he was still talking. his voice wafting through the dark mist that was her mind. "... you must let both sides of your story speak. theres another side inside of you. shes going to tear you apart from the inside. release my warrior let her free."

tali wanted to demand how exactly she do that but before she could process a word she was rocketed back to reality and with it the searing pain that cinched every muscle in her body. release. set her free. she shuddered searching deep inside herself for a way to disappear she saw the way out. it didnt take much once tali gave it a thought. one minute she felt all that pain and then-peace. she was now an observer. but for now she didnt mind the cage she was glad for the relief.

gypsy

gypsy burst out in a rush. her muscles shifted face changing untill it was hers again. the last fleeting memories wisped away as nothing more than that- memories. her blue eyes carefully took in her surroundings. she was in a bed. unfamilar walls. bu for now it didnt matter it was the first time in months shed been able to experience life. and she was soaking in the details as one whose just receieved their second chance at life- which, she had. her wrists were trapped. strapped onto the hospitalish bed as were her ankles. now she looked around furtively. chest tightening and breath coming in sharply at the thought of being trapped. like a caged animal. this was somehow so much different than being trapped inside the other girls body- which is what shed come to think of her as-. this should be controllable. before she could consider the repurcussions she raised her hoarse voice in the closest approximation to a yell as she could.

"HELP!" her throat ached from not using it and dehydration. she coughed dryly. the door swung open and a man strode in.

"miss karter i presume?" he held a stack of papers as he pulled a chair up to her bedside. "im sure this must be...unusual for you." he diverted his gaze as the only indication that he sympathysized with her situation.

"this has been unusua for us as well miss karter. and for this situation to be solved im going to need your full cooperation. might i ask you a few questions?" gypsy tried to raise her head.

"might you get me out of these freakin handcuffs?!" shesnapped too sharply. after he complied she sat up and rubbed circles into her temple. God her head hurt. "sorry." she mumbled noncommitally. why did she always have to apologize for everything?! she looked bleakly at the left wall. just as quickly as her anger had fizzled out depression was sinking back in and she remembered acutely why she hadnt wanted to continue with this life.

"this is stressful for you." he didnt say it to condone her actions exactly. "i need to know exactly whats going on." he prodded carefully. as though she might explode if he wasnt careful.

"im going to be honest with you..." she started evenly.

"director fury."

"director fury, i dont know whats been going on. its been crazy and frankly i dont know what you know but all i know is that ive been living a dream or more precisely, a nightmare." her gaze didnt waver her tone unflinchingly emotionless. she had no desire to put emotion into her eyes, her voice, after having no control over her feelings for so long she didnt see a need to start back up whhere she left off.

"im only here to help you, i believe you. so if you have anything you find out dont heitate to come here. were the good side." his eyes shown with pity for the confused woman but she wouldnt meet his eyes to see it."i wish you good day then. youre free to go." they both stood up and the director guided her through the halls to the exit.


	5. Chapter 5: moving forward

"YOU WHAT?!" the loud voice exploded out of the room into the hallways. "i let her go." fury reiterated calmly. "you let a psycho-path killer loose?! again?!" furys one eye slitted to a calculating glare as they only indication of his anger. "i would like to remind you that i AM the director here. but yes i let HER go-not a psycho path killer. a woman victim of consequence. she doesnt know whats going on either. but SHIELD will continue to keep tabs on her." fury sighed heavily and sank into a chair as the agent went out in a huff.

sometimes making the right decision was hard. he couldnt keep an innocent woman here, but he also couldnt let loose a 'psycho-path killer' as the superior agent so aptly stated. holding his head in one of his hands he quickly dialed the number.

"banner?" he straightened as though that act in itself could make his voice sound more authorative.

"yes...? director fury?" bruces voice at the other end of the line was crackly.

"i need your help."

gypsy didnt now what to do now. sometime, while walking through the bleak hallways of SHIELD, shed come to the decision that she wouldnt take her life yet. she was given a second chance- so use it. she shoved the door open t her dinky apartment pressing her shoulder against the splintered wood to force it past the catch. someone else might have stumbled in when it finally gave- but not gypsy. she looked around the studio with an air of sadness.

she was never supposed to see this again. somehow her other girl had brought her back here- back home. tears stung her eyes. a picture of jack and jess and her was in its place of honor on the mantel. it rarely ever stayed there though. she picked it up. carefully tracing her finger around jacks face.

nowhere was home without him. she held it tight against her chest letting her tears fall as she sank into her bed. even running through the woods; escaping the law, never being under the same trees two nights in a row- even THAT had been home. despite both of thei mourning for jess...it had been home. this wasnt home-this tiny but fairly clean, apartment- wasnt home. nor would it ever be. home was where you were with those you loved. she gave a shuddering cough as more tears streamed unchecked down her face. maybe she did want to die.

days later a still distraught but more composed gypsy crept out of her apartment. just keep living. keep moving forward. youre tough-youll make it. do it for jack, for jess, for your mother. as though she had a second conscience gypsy felt this voice encouraging her. she accepted the encouragement as food when one hasnt eaten in weeks-greedily. the superhero cafe. gypsy read the sign with a soft new hope. it was worth a try. she strode inside and the new york crowd outside the glass door kept breezing by. scents and smells filled the medium size modest cafe. gypsy took it all in slowly. the walls were decorated with paintings. all of new yorks heros- not a single one forgotten. the fantastic four had a booth on the far left corner, the avengers sat with batman and superman near the front in front of a fake window. gypsy found herself touching the wall to see if it were real. a semicircle table appeared to be a full circle with the heros seated on the other half. it was all so adorable. spiderman was hanging from the ceiling upside down above the heads of the avengers eating shwarma. "like it?" a voice spoke through gypsys thoughts. the woman behind the counter smiled encouragingly but gypsy saw a certain sadness in her eyes. "love it." gypsy half whispered as she went to stand in front of the counter. afraid to break the spell she kept her voice lowered slightly. at this early hour the cafe was nearly empty. the womans brown curls bobbed when she nodded, dimples softly indenting her cheeks to make room for her smile.

"might i speak to the manager?"

"you are. thats me. call me olivia." gypsy tried a hesitant smile as she looked for the right words.

"i was wondering...well i guess... if youre hiring?" she spoke hesitantly. knowing it was too good to be true. a place like this probably had people lining up to work here. the woman considered a moment.

"we might have a bit of a morning shift...it would have to be just part time..." she smiled apologetically. "you wanna come by later today for a real interview?" as she spoke she pulled out a small sheaf of papers stapled together. "fill this out. and... youll basically be good to go. we can figure out your hours this afternoon." despite herself gypsy found a genuine smile sneaking onto her face as she thanked the woman and departed.

at first gypsy was fine. learning to cope after giving up hope was harder than just letting go. but now that she was here she decided to give it her best go. she worked four days a week and sometimes extras on the weekends. "no guarantees for weekends though," olivia had assured her at the interview. gypsy admired olivia but never made any effort to become friends. how could someone like her understand what she was going through? and why burden her in the first place? so gypsy shouldered her burdens alone, and like the voice advised her: kept moving forward.

it was three weeks later that it started. she was jogging back to her apartment after work. the rain came down in pounding sheets but gypsy barely noticed it. lost in thought and prayer, she was in her own world. it was always raining there so she didnt notice the rain out here. her vision started to swim, but not with tears. she crumpled to her knees her small form shaking with pain. she felt like she was going to explode. the rain kept pounding cars raced by, horns blaring, tires squealing, splashing large puddles of water onto the soaking sidewalk. the pounding in her head was so loud she was certain the whole world could hear it. she felt her grip slipping on what she didnt know. it was just slipping just like one cant hold onto a rope forever, she was losing grip on something beyond her control. she let loose her scream it filled the dark stormy day like a battle shriek.


	6. Chapter 6: torched

tasi had been waiting for too long. she had let karter have her chance at life now it was hers. her body shifted skin rippling muscles tightening and expanding, clothes shifting back to her own. God, was she ever glad to see her weapons were still intact. it was day but because f the glorious storm it was dark enough to pass as night. the rain was letting up though, the dark clouds hopefully wouldnt recede then tasi would have time under the cover of this darkness. rain or not she still had a mission. she hefted her gun daring anyone to challenge her as she headed off for the nearest building.

news of the breakout came quickly to SHIELD. the rain had lessened enough that the other girl was abl to torch several buildings trapping their occupants inside. the director was hard put sending agents to rescue victims in time. the girl made quick progress. she didnt have any preferences either she just wanted to kill, burn, and destroy. she didnt care who stood in her way.

fury had known it would come eventually it had to happen but who could prepare for this kind of damage? the attacks stopped suddenly somewhere on the edge of the state. fury sent a few agents inside the helicopter to investigate the damage and search for hopefully the human side of the girl.

the punisher had wanted to stay away from that psycho-vigilante but when youre serving punishment to a mafia gang and shes torching the whole block its not something one is known to ignore. and the punisher certainly didnt intend to ignore it any longer. he strode outside the light from the flames illuminated her as the only person not running. until she seemed to see something. from this far away and through the smoke frank couldnt catch her facial expression but he did see her rush headlong into a burning building. he saw firefighters and SHIELD agents arriving to save people so he rushed into the burning building after her. trenchcoat flying out behind him he darted up the not yet flaming stairs. orange light shining through the splintered cracks from below made it very clear that it wouldnt be long before this as well was torched. frank grimaced slightly darting up the stairs cautiously but swiftly. she was in a lab of sorts it was filled with smoke and a young man was bent nearly double over a table he was coughing and quivering as he choked on the smoke the girl had created but it wasnt the same girl frank had seen before he realized quickly. still he would help them out. the man was scrabbling to shove oddly colored liquid vials into his pockets as the girl tried to drag him to a window. the punisher knew they wouldnt get far that way. he quickly swooped in supporting the man by holding his limp arm across his own shoulders and motioning the frightened girl to follow him.

gypsy had managed to get back out when she heard a scream from a building. it didnt sound the same but some sort of instinct and... just KNOWING made her believe...it was possible. when shed gotten to the floor she knew she must be mistaken this man was surely not her brother nonetheless she wouldnt leave him to die. it was while she was struggling to half drag half carry the man that someone else appeared.

she didnt ask questions. didnt ask how or why he was helping them. she let him carry the man as she covered her mouth with her arm and fought her way through the thick smoke behind him. fresh air was welcome as the three arrived outside. the trenchcoated man gently dumped his unconscious load onto the stretcher next to the blaring fire trucks. he looked vaguely familar. gypsy racked her brain for that face...that square jaw, that five o clock shadow, those eyes that were so determined but shone with a sad light.

before she could place him he turned and disappeared into the night. gypsy received a quick breahing treatment and waited beside the unconscious man until he was revived. while she was waiting she noticed that director coming towards her. battling the need to atleast see this mans eyes, to know for sure he wasnt jack even though she knew it was much too good to be true. she couldnt see that director though not now. now he knew all too well how little controlshe had and how dangerous she was. she dint want to be in prison. but the director was still aways away and the man was coughing, his eyes slowly opening.

"jack." she said the one word like a prayer.


	7. Chapter 7:puzzle pieces

later she remembered her heart nearly stopping the painful rhythm that had been pounding in her chest had ceased as she realized it was true. it was him. she wanted to scream and laugh and cry all at once. shed have given anything to stay there with him hug him hold him demand answers and make him promise that he was still her protector but instead shed ran. she wasnt sure if jack even had a chance to recognize her. their first reunion in six something years and he might not have even known it was her. she had so many questions. needed so many answers. but waiting for answers would prove to have more consequences than she was willing to stand up for. so she slipped away. the crowd was thick, bustling across the streets in mayhem from the attack. her fault. but luckily it was quite easy to disappear.

once at her apartment she quickly packed her bags. but when she went to shove the picture into her bag she paused and burst into tears at the sight of it. she was really going to run? and now? once she had finally found the brother she had been searching for? it was all so wrong. what would jack think of her? would he hate her as much as she herself did? and then there was always that other question pulsing through her mind like a mosquito bite. he had been so close...all these years... and hed never come to see her? shed never found him? it seemed so impossible. it was much more of a mystery than gypsy previously thought as she was going to come to relize.

she did abandon her apartment. she couldnt stay. but she coulnt leave when she knew he was so close at her fingertips after all these years...it was maddening knowing that now that she finally knew whre he was she might not be able to see him simply because if she got caught...she wasnt sure what would happen. but she didnt want to find out.

"im here to see jack karter?" she inquired at the front desk of the hospital. she remembered hed been badly burned enough to be admitted into some serious intensive care.

"relation?" the secretary behind the desk asked in a bored voice as she typed and worked on her computer.

"jacks my brother." she forced her voice to sound casual when inwardly she wanted to crumple to the ground. once admitted she slipped into the room. she pulled up a chair to his bedside. God he looked awful. was this really her brother?

"jack?" tears stung her eyes and her voice cracked on his name.

"do i... know you?" he asked carefully. analyzing her. gypsy smiled softly.

" its me gypsy. God jack its so good to see you...ive missed you. so much." she sniffed swiping her tears out of the way. she couldnt see him if she was crying.

"im sorry..." jack started politely. "i suppose i know you pretty well. but i honestly dont remember..." gypsy looked into his eyes to see if he was serious.

"jack..." her mouth dropped open in dismayed shock. "im your sister."

gypsys head was still spinning he didnt remember. God, he didnt remember her at all. it stung. the doctors informed her he hadnt suffered amnesia from the fire. they had done all types of scans and x-rays his brain was perfectly healthy. so why... she had left in tears after a while of speaking to a brother who didnt remember her. she was sitting on the hospital stoop now. shed cried all she could. now she just held her head in her hands and stared blankly at the people and traffic that raced by before her numbed mind. she heard a scuffling sound as someone sat down beside her on the concrrete stairs.

"karter?" the man asked politely.

"gypsy call me gypsy." she mumbled straightening her back and looking at the man out of the corner of her eye.

"dr kurtis. im your brothers doctor. hey i uh heard what happened. im really sorry."

"no you have no idea what happened. you couldnt possibly know. x-rays and cat scans dont tell you the whole story." she controlled her bitter tone with an emotionless apethetic tone.

"no x-rays dont tell you the whole story. but people do." he waited a moment to see if shed speak then he continued. "my brother and me were not just siblings we were best friends. we stood up for each other. as my senior, i followed in travis' footsteps. he had such a vibrant view for life. so much to live for. he was brimming with passion..." the doctor paused as though lost in his memories as he too stared at the world before him but saw something entirely different. "when he got in an accident... he died instantly. everyone else in the car only suffered minor injuries...including me...the driver." he looked down quickly at his hands. then laughed harshly to disspellhis tears.

"i guess what im trying to tell you out of all this is...that some things are beyond our control. once it happens theres no going back. but if i could have my brother alive and living out his dreams...even if it meant he didnt remember my name...id count myself lucky." gypsy processed this slowly carefully listening to his words.

"im sorry." she whispered. "i guess we all have our stories i just can be so sefish sometimes...only thinking about myself..." tears still pricked her eyes.

"dont apologize." he placed a hand on her shoulder. "just go back in there. learn who your brother is now. hes still your brotherand amnesia or no, hell always love you. you just have to remind him why." the doctor stood up brushing off his clothes. "well my breaks up. but if you need someone to talk to. im always here. im a workaholic afterall." gypsy nodded a hesitant smile escaping.

she did go back in. the very next day, and the next and the next, she became a fixture at the hospital. each day she painted pictures of their life for her brother some were sweet memories of the few fun moments they shared as children.

"when you were eleven you built a treehouse just for the three of us you me and jess. we used to play in that thing like crazy. somenights id sneak out of the house to sleep on the hard wooden planks youd nailed in. id stare up at the stars through the window you put in." she would smile and laugh about pranks of long ago. other memries were not so happy but they needed to be told just as much.

"jack...these last few years have been scary and frightening. it was always you and me against the world. if nothing else i always had you and jess...after jess... i had you. but then i didnt have anyone. i needed you jack. so much." she started crying again.

jack winced as he leaned over the bed and took both her hands into his.

"gypsy..." he looked softly into her eyes. "im here now. and im not leaving. im your protector right? i dont remember all this stuff except for something deep inside of me. gypsy, i can feel the memories you talk about. but...theres something missing. what happened?" jack looked so confused. gypsy didnt realize it just then but somehow over the last couple weeks of visiting her brother that she had adapted the role of protector. she had made it without jack and as much as she had always needed him she had survived. but now it was her job to protect her brother. she bowed her head under his intense gaze. she knew shed have to tell him all. it just hurt so much. digging up all these memories for jack forced her into reliving each and every one of them painstaking one by painstaking one. gypsy took in a shuddering breath. it was time to tell all.

"anthony came home drunk nothing unusual. but jack he was going to kill me...for real this time." she didnt hear it when the door opened and someone slipped inside. she kept her hands in jacks, let the tears fall. and slid back to that day. the start of all of this. "jess stepped in front of me just in time. anthony smashed his head into the wall with his fist. i saw his skull cave in. God it was terrible!"she shuddered but kept going. "you took my hand and towed me behind you. we ran. we hid in the forest. for months we traveled sleeping in secluded areas by day and traveling by night. we kept moving always moving. but then...one day you left. you went into the city to collect supplies. you never came back. i searched for you jack for five years i searched for you. and then one day i gave up. you werent coming back. so i took my life. it was five thousand feet...it was in a secluded area. a forest the drop was straight down. no water to break my fll just stones. id be dead for sure." she looked off outside the window face unreadable as she spoke. "i leapt." she closed her eyes breathing deeply as though even now she could see the quickly approaching ground, feel the wind caressing her plummeting body, feel that absolute peace and freedom of giving up. her ice blue eyes opened. when she didnt say anything more jack looked at her in confusion.

"but...what happened? youre still here..."

"i know. im not sure what happened. moments before hitting the ground i closed my eyes. but i never felt the shock never felt the pain...jack...im a monster... something...happened. after the fall all i could do was watch. i couldnt control myself. i watched as what should be my hands killed...people. burned, exploded, and destroyed homes and buildings. i couldnt stop her. the fire you were in...i caused that. God jack you could have died because of ME!" now she yanked her hands back shaking with rage at herself. jack was saying something but she couldnt hear him. her brain was fazing out. body racked with convulsions. the world was nothing more than one immutable roar. she had to stop this. if she changed...NO!

she wouldnt risk jacks life again. the battle was on. gypsy was choking. the other girl tightening her grip on her throat her muscles her brain.

NO! gypsy tried to hold on to reality. she pictured jack. she had to save him from herself. she couldnt stop it she came to realize she was too far gone. she was going to kill herself. her mind darted frantically. window. in moments she had crashed through it and landed on the ground four stories down.

GET AWAY! HAVE TO GET AWAY! she forced her legs to move even though each breath was costing her dearly. she couldnt go on anymore she crumpled to her knees in the middle of the road horns blared cars swerved. gypsy switched.


	8. Chapter 8: the only way

sorceress supreme: thankyou so much for your reviews! im so glad you enjoyed it. unfortunately it keeps getting worse. poor gypsy. ):

animation imagination: im so glad you liked my story! i hope you enjoy the update!

tasi had learned to better communicate with treggar during the time when gypsy was in power. he served to be much encouragement for the struggling otherworlder. but once she got out she wasnt struggling. she was all power. invincible! the other girl twisted her lips together grimly. tasi was dead. tasi had feelings she had strengths as well as weaknesses other was pure power, strength. a machine with one purpose. her eyes glowed hotter than the flames of a fire. red eyes burning bright, she began her work.

gypsy was finding it harder and harder to control the other. she had to protect her brother. she called dr kurtis.

"matt? can i talk to you?"

"sure where?" the hour was late and gypsy was very grateful for a friend like matt.

"outside olivias cafe." she decided quickly.

"gypsy theres something i shoul tell you..." matt started. he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.

"that day you were talking to your brother...i came in to give him his meds. you didnt hear me i guess and...i heard all of it. i knew i should have left and im sorry. please dont hate me." gypsy looked at the ground.

"x-rays wouldnt tell you any of that would they?" she smiled grimly trying to make light of a tense situation.

"no... and i know youre leaving and im not going to stop you. i understand. just...be safe. and take these with you." he handed her a lumpy manilla envelope. "jack had them in his coat pocket when he darted out of the fire. he told me to give them to you." gypsys fingers tightened around the package. "will you tell him i love him?" she whispered. "i have to do this. theres no other way." she choked softly.

"gypsy... itll get better i promise." his eyes brimmed with tears that caught the new york street lamps glow in them. "well find a way to fix this. it wont be like this forever." gypsy shook her head.

"this is just life. theres somethings you cant control remember?" she gave matt his own advice hed given her that day on the hospital steps. then turning before matt could say anything else. gypsy turned and raced off. she hated goodbyes.

bus to bus disappearing. gypsy kept moving. now she was theone leaving. leaving jack behind. she wasnt sure which was worse. she knew she was doing the right thing but it didnt make it any easier. she wrote letters to matt without saying who it was from. she knew hed know it was her. she had successfully avoided exploding so far but she was always so tensed up it made her positively sick. she herself didnt even really know where she was going so long as it was away. when she landed in oklahoma she began to work more. she felt safe outside of the city. and for the first time in a long time she decided to see what she wanted to do with her life. she quickly found out she liked taking apart things as a child shed used to toy with things but now she realized how calm it made her feel. the only time when she wasnt nervous was when she was taking apart a gun and trading off pieces to experiment to see what got the best range and fps. she started with an airsoft gun mainly for familiarility but eventually switched to regular guns. she fixed broken guns for money, improved peoples other guns and saved up her own store of experimental weapons. then even started creating weapons from scratch, everything from time bombs to guns with scrap supplies.

gypsy,

your brothers doing well. hes out of the hospital and working. hes a cop right now. he visits me and i let him read your letters. gypsy..these past few weeks youve been gone., i realize how much i miss you. youre so different than any one ive met. some days im just dumbstruck by how amazing you are... i love you. and i want you to know that someday im going to find a way to fix this your brother is still working with his mad scientist stuff trying to find cures for everything he promised me if there was a cure out there for you he would make it. but if you want to know the truh gypsy...i love you just the way you are. i know you hate mushy sentiments and just want the facts and i know if you were to read this you just might cry and never tell me you did, but what i really want to know, what i may never know, is if you love me back. i know weve grown close when youre brother was in the hospital. and i know were friends but i want to go beyond friends...and i cant stop thinking about you! i wish there was a way i could get to you! somedays i curse myself up and down for letting you leave, other days i curse myself up and down for not going with you! how bipolar i am. all i know is i want to be with you. wherever you are. youre letters give me no indication as to your feelings for me. and i cant write you for fear youll never get it. or fear you might actually get it!

my dearest love, i will never love any other till the day i die, whether you know that or not makes no difference to me. before man and God i pledge my heart to you. i will love you forever i hope that someday we might be together. untill then,

matt

matt always wrote these letters after receiving gypsys but then torethem up for fear someone else might read them since he couldnt send them to her. somedays it was pure agony. when her letters took too long in coming he always feared the worst. if something happened to her hed kill himself.

other started scratching one night gypsy immediately rushed outside into the cool night air. she took deep breaths. she just felt so alone! she couldnt stay with anyone she loved for fear of hurting them. living had turned into a curse she almost wished she would have died. in her hazed over desperate mind she was forgetting that had she died she wouldnt have been able to see jack here on earth again, nor would she have ever met matt. but now all she saw was darkness. when her mind receded to this view there was never a hope of returning. she knew the other girl used whatever foothold she could to get control and now she was using the very fact that gypsy was alive against her, but it didnt make it any less effective. if you had died the first time you never would have hurt jack... or all those other innocents. its all your fault. her mind was against her even her soul seemed to hate her. before her last boiling tear hit the ground gypsy was gone and crouched on the ground was the other girl.

it had been too long, but goodness sometimes it was just too easy. other raided gypsys store for the newer weapons shed been working on. in the city, other made quick work then she hefted her gear and ran back to new york. what had taken gypsy months to walk took other an hour. her feet flew across the ground dodging and weaving carefully to avoid buildings, people, cars and any other obstacles. now she was back at her favorite haunts, and she was ready to conquer.

everyones favorite neighborhood spiderman was watching over his city. perched on top of a high building, everything was peacuful tonight. his mask was off and he clutched it in his fist letting the wind blow through his thick brown locks. it was a normal night for the city that never sleeps, sort of an acquired taste in that most found in noisy, bustling, rude, and cold, but to peter and others who had also acquired that taste- it was peaceful. the blare of constant traffic nothing more than a reverberating hum in the backround of life. this was just one of those nights for peter and he was reveling over it all enjoying the solitude when he saw it all start. it was a blur at first. but she was unmistakable especially when buildings rapidly caught on fire. the trail spread quickly and peter didnt have much time. he had to help.

other was having a grand time. a lovely night out on the town. she leaned against the door frame as it slowly caught then it snaked up her body. it was a lovely sensation cold and hot all at once. and the pain-oh the pain was intoxicating. other reveled in her masterpiece. and in that glorious fire that consumed her but couldnt scathe her skin before it healed. once she stepped away from the wood the fire left her like flame leaves steel it cant stay. it left her feeling cold inside missing that burning caress. she was satisfied with her work and was ready to leave or change and let gypsy face th repurcussions. oh that woukd be fun. gypsy would be weak after everything other had done...possibly unconscious. it would hurt. yes. other decided. ill leave her for the wolves.


	9. Chapter 9: GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!

as soon as news of the explosion reached matt he rushed out of the hospital. he had to find her and help her. he didnt even bother to take off his work clothes and his white doctors coat trailed behind him as he dashed down the road. traffic was thick and only getting thicker as people tried to flee the flaming scene. the only ones pushing against the crowd were the firefighters police officers and a few black clad agents. and matthew kurtis. his head pounded out a rhythm. nervous and desperate. adrenaline flooded through him. only one thing mattered that he find her. if the authorities got her first he didnt know what would happen.

it was then that he saw her. flames surrounded her. no one was close to her but the flames were dying down quickly and as he watched the red dressed girl shifted her clothing back to gypsys tank top and jeans her form back down to her own then she crumpled to the ground. matt didnt hesitate alf a second. the flames were dying down enough that she was far enough away from the fire that he could reach her. still the smoke was intoxicating and even at a glance through his smoke filled eyes he could tell she was badly burned. he carefully scooped her unconscious form into his arms. he wanted to scream at the injustice of it all. how was this fair? gypsy didnt deserve this kind of life. he held her close to himself as he darted off down the street hed come from.

once they arrived at the hospital, matt notified jack and gypsys brother arrived as quickly as he could. matt was administering burn care to her wounds when the man strode in.

"is she okay?" jacks brow was creased in worry. he bent over the opposite side of the bed. matt stood up straightening he glanced up at the man.

"shell be allright." matt gently brushed a black damp curl off her forehead. "she hasnt woken up yet but shes tough." he heaved a sigh studying the unconscious girls features then looking up to meet the mans eyes. "she shouldnt have to go through this..." he clenched his jaw. he wished there were some way to keep her safe from all this pain. but the doctor was helpless.

"no..." jack stated grimly. "she shouldnt."

gypsy awoke in a room her head was pounding her body ached all over.

"gypsy?" a soft voice broke through the pain and the last remnants of sleep disappeared as the girl forced herself awake.

"wha-? jack?" blindly she reached up and around.

"yes its me. and matt. youre going to be okay. i promised remember?" she could hear the smile in jacks voice, but also an undertone of something else. she forced her eyes open.

"oh. thats all. itll heal... after my next explosion." even as she said it she knew the healing would come with many other consequences if only it didnt have to be that way. jack turned away eyes stinging.

"im going to find a way to fix this." matt crouched down on the balls of his feet as gypst scooted into a sitting position. he gently took her hand rubbing circles in her palm. she smiled sadly knowing that some things cant be fixed and she was probably one of those things.

jack could hardly be dragged away from her bedside even to go to work. but matt was paid to stay by her bedside...well not exactly but he had pulled a few strings so he could be her nurse and doctor. now he sat down on the edge of her bed to give her her pain meds.

"i dont know what im going to do if something ever happens to you or jack." she admitted while gulping down the medicine. matt gave her a funny look but turned away before she could analyze it.

"yeah," he said hoarsely and then cleared his throat. "i dont know what id do if something ever happened to you." he picked up her hand carressing it inside his. "these past few months ive missed you so much. you have no idea how much i hated myself for not making you stay or not going with you. ill never make that mistake again." he laughed roughly as though it were all a funny joke but gypsy saw the look he had. she watched his back as he went to the desk and put her meds away. she looked out the window eyes stinging and understood. he wanted to be there for her just like shed wanted to be there for jack. she had assumed the responsibility of jacks protector and hed somehow assumed the responsibility of hers. but did she want a protector anymore? shed gotten so used to keeping people at arms length- for their own safety of course. could she ever live that kind of life? could she put matt at danger like that? it stung. she had to keep him away just as much as she wanted him close. and now that she knew how he felt it made it all that much worse. so much worse.

"im sorry matt. so sorry. i wish it were different..." she thought back. first shed been protected, sheltered and kept out of harms way by jack and jess, then shed been tottally and completely alone. then when she thought shed finnally found her protector she realized she only found another person to protect. but now there was matt... but it would never work! she couldnt risk it! she wasnt stable. God, shed kill herself before hurting matt.

two days later gypsyfelt well enough to know shed have to leave before her next explosion. she walked around the room, pacing. she was still pacing when matt came in to give her her meds.

"whats worrying you?" he tenderly brushed her hair off her forehead, concern etched across his beautiful brow. gypsy had a sudden impulse to kiss his forehead kiss it untill all those worry lines disappeared. instead she looked down.

"nothing. im fine." she lied. he dropped his hand and at the same time that she was grateful, she wished it back. he clenched his jaw knowing she was lying but determined not to push it. he gave her her meds.

"gypsy ill always love you." he smoothed her hair back one last time kissed her forehead and left. gypsy wanted to cry. he knew she was leaving. he knew he couldnt follow as much as hed later hate himself for it. once the door clicked shut behind him gypsy threw on her streetclothes and slipped out the window.

matthew kurtis strode down the halls of the hspital as fast as he could without attracting unwanted attention. he slid into his office and dialed the phone number.

"you really want to go through with this?"

"of course matthew." matt clenched his jaw considering.

"shes leaving."

"and the trackers?" matt gulped before replying.

"on her shoes."

"good work."

"you promised me she wont get hurt! i swear if anything happens to her!"

"shhh. trust me. this is for the best. its the only way. like you said- shes killing herself. weve got to do this." matt sighed heavily, swiping a hand through his brown hair.

"you better be right." he stated tersely and he hung up. once off the phone he collapsed into a chair. burying his face in his hands.

gypsy kept walking. she was hoping the ache in her heart would subside the further she walked when it didnt she wasnt suprised. she missed him already. how could she ever stay away when shed already fallen so hard? life was such a hopeless mess. but she kept walking. then she heard the sirens, the chopper blades, everything all at once. she took off running when they got too close. she darted behind side streets, in alleys anything to see if they were really after her. they were. a voice in her head told her she was her own protector that she had to fight or flee, but whichever she did- do it right. the change was just beneath her skin. too easy, barely a thought and shed switch. not yet. she could evade them easier if she wasnt a monster. she kept running feet desperately pumping the ground. get away! get away! GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!

she couldnt run forever and her breath was already giving out on her when she heard bootfalls instead of tires behind her. she raced down an alley and swiftly climbed and leapt over a fence but as soon as her feet hit the ground another pursuer was on the opposite side of the alley. open window- just above the metal fence as both opposing sides sprined towards her she leapt to the top of the fence and rolled inside the room was empty, gypsy quickly shut and locked the window then raced out of the room- up the stairs. if she couldnt run then she coud atleast hide. she ran up flight after flight. top floor. she wouldnt go to the roof they had helicopters. she darted into an office whose door was unlocked- if they came in here shed leap out the window. sheleaned against the wall after locking the door and pante heavily struggling to regain control of her breathing. bootfalls outside the door. helicopters whirring above. theyd found her. how the hell did they keep doing that?!

she pulled out her pistol just as the door was kicked in. but it was a losing battle and she knew it. she fired- they fired. but just as soon as one of their bullets struck home, she switched.


	10. Chapter 10: MONSTER

it was a ball, a lovely masked antebellum style affair, it started with a spark. gypsy watched as she the only one attired in jeans caught on fire. she smiled wickedly eyes flashing red as the fire consumed her. she crumpled to the ground. the pain was so vivid, so real, gypsy writhed screaming in agony trying to force her eyes open trying to force herself to wake up. if shed just wake up this pain would end. she didnt it didnt. the balls occupants quickly caught on fire as the red flames spread consuming everything. so much death so much dying the fire kept spreading. people running. voices raised in unadalturated screams. pure pain. gypsy was struggling to take control to help instead of harm these people but she couldnt seem to. the scene shifted.

jack was lying in a bed badly, badly injured. nearly on the verge of death as he looked up at his sister, who was sobbing.

"lets leave. well run away. ill protect you." she gasped out desperately. but even in the dream she knew she was grasping at straws.

"you cant always protect everyone."

the dreams kept going. most were meaningless death and red flames gunfire and pain. so much pain. but others were of those gypsy loved matt and jack appeared in several. everytime it was the same horrible endings.

matt stormed into the lab when he heard gypsy scream. the doctor running tests on her waved him away as he continued to work on the unconscious woman on the table.

"you...told me shed be fine." matts gaze was hard his tone cut out of steel. one glance at gypsy told him everything he needed to know- she wasnt fine. the doctor turned around in a whirl setting his tools pointedly on the operating table as he strode towards dr kurtis.

"you want me to help her? its gotta be MY way. and you just keep out of it." the doctors tone was low and his small form was set in pure rage.

"no." matts voice was lower but just as hard. "i wont keep out of it. you hurt her youve gotta go through me."

"so now youre gonna try to be the hero?" the doctor mocked with a harsh, humorless laugh. "i believe its too late for that. please escort the good doctor out." the doctor waved a hand at his hired muscle as he turned back to his patient. the guards clamped their hands onto matts arms.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" matt yelled wrestling futily with his captors. that yell was all the incentive other needed her eyes flew open. they thought steel chains could hold her? she ripped her wrists out of her bonds like it was mere thread. her gaze traveled around the room. they thought they could take her out? stupid doctors. other couldnt be experimented with. it was time for them to learn a lesson theyd never forget, nor would they ever have an opportunity to remember.

"holy shit. shes out." the doctor dropped the vial in his hands as he stared wide-eyed at the creature before him. she rose slowly like smoke from fire, or fire from wood. or an angel of death.

other didnt have much timethose drugs did more harm than shed like to admit. she killed them all but saved that handsome doctor for last, he loved gypsy. she smiled at him her eyes alighting on him in a dangerous way.

"hello darling." he was frozen in place. other tsked it would never do for gypsys love to be so afraid. she ran her fingers up the side of his face.

"i want to talk to gypsy." he said as firmly as he could manage after watching her bruttally slaughter five doctors.

"shh... gypsys not home..." other leaned in closer covering his mouth with hers. he melted into her. and other pulled out her blade, while her lips were still pressed against his she shoved the knife straight into his gut.

it took a momement for everything to register. gypsy was trying to figure out what had happened, what was going on. then she saw him. thrown in the corner haphazardly like a piece of trash long since reached the experation of its purpose. at first she didnt believe it... this couldnt happen. not to him! no! but when she fell down in front of him and gripped his shoulders he was cold. cold and dead. oh God he was dead. NO! gypsys breath came in sharply everything was spinning. she couldnt hve killed him! NO! she couldnt have killed him... couldnt have killed him... he was fine! hed always been fine! he couldnt die! it... it.. it wasnt right! his body slumped uselessly against the wall. what had happened? why was this happening? she slid into his cold dead embrace placing his bloody arm around her shoulder and leaning her head gently against his bloody chest.

"why? God why?" then she let the tears fall. hot passionately boiling drops. "NO! no..." she buried her face into his chest but it brought little comfort all that was left was a shell. a dead, cold, shell.

shed never forgive herself. never. still in her loves dead embrace she pulled out a pistol from one of the guards dead fingers barely thought twice about it and fired straight into her mouth. now itll all be over. she had been tired of this life for too long. matt dying was simply the last straw. gypsy was better off dead. the world would be a safer place if she was dead. shed tried to make it work. tried to see if she could control it. she should have killed herself long before. then matt would still be alive.


	11. Chapter 11: sweet freedom!

the world was a bleak place. other was free from her other side. she never tried to get out. she didnt care what happened anymore so long as she could shut her eyes. other thought she was stupid. the world still went on even if one more person died. oh it did indeed still go on. other was having the time of her life. barely escaping the authoritys and SHIELD. every night was brighter than the fourth of july. except with fewer colors- orange red and black. the screams made other drunk with power. she was FREE! she forgot about the mission in itself all that mattered was that she kill as many people as she could. unhindered, she would have gone on forever till earth was nothing more than one flaming sphere. ever since that bullet struck home and other had been set free the world had been thaty much brighter for her and that much bleaker for everyone else.

SHIELD was in an uproar. gypsy never showed her face and other was torching the world. the casualties were piling up with every minute that SHIELD wasted concocting a plan. how does one appeal to the fanatical other? ideas were tossed aside as suicidal or flimsy. SHIELD didnt rest. and the director got sharper without sleep as did all the other heros. until tony stark threw down the towel.

tony was done with this. hed been done with it for a long time but now it was time to act. he stormed into the directors offie where he was conducting his meetings which the ironman carefully avoided.

"im done!" he looked into furys red rimmed eye. setting his own jaw. "we all know theres only one person who can stop this! so quit being a pussy and just ask him for help! or are you too coward?" tony wasnt feeling like himself, becaise if he were he would have never suggested the person he was suggesting.

"castle...?" the director raised his eyebrow.

"well duh! who else?" tony snapped. the director of SHIELD considered a moment.

"he refused to take her in last time..."

"he cant refuse this time! if theres one thing the punisher is right about its that you have to stop the bad guys whatever the cost. SHE is going to destroy our world!"

stealth wasnt all that necesary to capture that chic. she wouldnt probably even notice him if he was right in front of her. he was just more kindling. reason wasnt necesary either. but luckily SHIELD had done their research. couldnt kill her with bullets. so far they didnt see any way to kill her. but tranqs would do fine enough to get her back to headquarters. it wasnt hard to find her. follow the trail of fire. he watched out the window of the helicopter as the pilot followed her mile after mile. if only she would listen to advice... protect the innocents be smarter about taking out the bad guys... she had the fearless part down. all SHIELD would do was break her. he tried to convince himself he didnt care. she wasnt his problem. but somehow he hated himself for stooping so low that he had to turn someone in to that organization. there was something so terribly wrong abput that.

now they were close enough to see the buildings light. and when frank leapt out of the chopper he heard the pounding sound of bullets. there she was- pressed up against a building shed torched, the fire melted into her as one of its own. twining around her form effortlessly. she was firing at those who ran. frank lifted his tranq gun pausing barely a moment to aim before letting the dart fly. he strode over casually and hefted her light body onto his shoulder. shed gotten cocky, not paying enough attention. too bad- he would have enjoyed a little bit of a fight. invincibility made you pretty cocky. he decided.

frank didnt stay in the jet to escort the girl back to SHIELD he stayed on the ground to begin the long hike back to new york. what a twisted problem the director had dragged him into. hed rather have been left out of it.


	12. Chapter 12: all thats left

even unconscious, the girl remained other. gypsy had given up. she was as good as dead. the world had choked her out and now she had finally lost it all. in the hulks cage other went insane. she couldnt be trapped. after three days of torment and other ripping off her skin before it grew back over the bones and muscle tissue before a single drop of blood was spilled, the director finally went to speak to her. he picked up the microphone.

"excuse me maam?" he spoke as politely as one could to someones whos trying to kill the world.

"other." her voice slipped out like snakes. slithering and dangerous all at once. her red eyes glowed brightly as they rested on the director. human flesh was so tantalyzingly close.

"miss other, would it be possibly to speak with miss karter?" other laughed lightly, as she spoke she comforted herself with the image of him going up in flames...

"karter is dead." he would scream of course. other would relish in that scream till her dying days. "she gave up. its only me now." she leaned closer to the glass, smiling wickedly. all that flesh purposeless until she took a torch to it. mmm... wonderful. or she could just rip his heart out with her red nails. lovely, she could almost see the blood spilling out coloring his trenchcoat, the ground, the world. she was so caught up in her fantasy she almost missed his next words.

"shes not dead." he spoke calmly. other straightened.

"you think id lie. oh dear me what a sweet sentiment as though i need to lie." the director didnt reply instead he pressed a button on his device.

"send him up." other studied the man. he had been genuinely scared of her. she realized. even now he was assuring himself that this glass held her back. other lived on fear. it was a beautiful delicacy. her tongue slithered across her lips before she spoke again.

"so much fire..." she whispered looking off into the distance.

"excuse me?" she had his attention. she locked her red eyes onto his.

"so much fire." she spoke louder. "screams everywhere. and then...another red," she looked down at her hands now as though entirely lost in her reverie and couldnt see the man before her.

"not a fire red... blood. everywhere." her eyes widened meeting his eye again. "they died quickly you should know. they didnt have a chance to fear me, nor should you. you dont need to fear me. how delicious you look right now... so much blood. oh how lovely you could be." the director cleared his throat, struggling not to let her words unnerve him. the gesture wasnt lost on other. then another man stepped into the room.

"gypsy?" his eyes didnt hold fear but sadness. a deep sadness. things other could never understand. other felt the girl stir inside her for the first time since that night shed tried to take her life, gypsy was actually caring. others eyes widened in fear. gypsy wanted out. the boy noticing the struggle kept speaking.

"gypsy im sorry about what happened... but please...im still here. please gypsy. cant i talk to you? gypsy..." his voice wavered slightly. other crumpled to the ground but it was all over in minutes. gypsy nearly crawled to the edge of the glass and leaned up aainst it placing her hand on top of it, tears streamed down her face as she spoke the only name she could utter the only person who had somehow always survved to help her through the hard times. the only person she now had left in the whole world. "jack,"

when they let her brother into the cage gypsy fell into his arms and let herself be comforted. jack didnt offer hollow words he simply listened. "jack. jack..." she broke into sobbing. the director slightly wet eyed turned away to give the two their privacy.

"jack... i... i killed him. matt. and then then... then i tried to kill me." she whispered the last part hoarsely even now regretting that she was still alive.

"im such a monster. i dont know what to doanymore..." jack clenched his jaw tightly letting the tears stream down his face without a fight. the two comforted each other in silence for hours before gypsy finally fell into a fitful sleep still in jacks arms. like a little child, he carried her to the bed and laid her in it. for weeks jack watched over her like a mother lion watches her cubs. he was her protector and he refused to let anyone else in her cell. when she was sleeping he slipped away to meetings with the director. something had to be done.

"isnt there some way you can kill me?" gypsy spoke to the director from inside her cell. jack was about to protest but the director spoke first he met the confused girls eyes.

"no. but were looking for a solution less extreme. even if you could die theres no guarantee the other girl will die with you." gypsy was losing hope she didnt know she had. was there any end to this hell?


	13. Chapter 13: meet the avengers

all the heros at one time or another visited gypsys cell. not all were brave enough to come in but all wanted to meet her. some were welcomed others not so much. gypsy quickly decided she didnt like that tony. he was full of himself. but steve she easily connected with.

"gypsy i just wanted to say im really sorry...about everything. and i know that doesnt help but i wanted to tell you. and i think matt would want you to keep going." coming from anyone else gypsy would have given them a black eye for even speaking matts name but from steve it was different he pulled a paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. smoothing it out, gypsy started crying again. it was matt. steve immediately started stuttering.

"um..no dont.. cry please. im sorry! please dont-"

"no! i love it!" gypsy interupted him. she still was crying but she hugged the picture tightly to herself.

bruce tried to talk to her and while she tolerated him she found it annoying how he was always trying to help her and relate to her. it was maddening. who was he- her counselor?! clint was funny and cute but gypsy couldnt bring herself to talk to him like she could steve. thor... thor was one she definetely kept at arms length. never rude to him but he was always so loud...and... huggy. but always there was jack, who she could tell anything. he was always there after her explosions to give her tea for her headache or just talk softly to her. other was terrified of being trapped and images plagued gypsy after her brief explosions inside the enclosed space.

"is this what its going to be like for the rest of my life? is there nothing more? will it always be like this?" gypsy whispered to jack. her mind was spinning in a depression pattern, mere hours after her latest explosion. and, as always, jack was the one there to talk to her directly after the other girl finished her useless rant. jack looked off slightly to the side the two were seated in the cage crosslegged seated on the floor leaning against the glass.

"ive been working with some people to possibly find a solution... and i think were close. gypsy-" the girl stood up.

"JACK! you cant do that! you remember what happened?!" she was referring to of course, matt. she wouldnt let her brother take that kind of risk. not when she could stop it. he stood up too raising his hands in a placating manner, keeping his voice calm.

"its okay. really. were being very careful. nothings going to happen. i promise." his eyes pleaded with her. he wanted his sister back. for good. no unexpected switches, no living in a prison cell. no depression. gypsy wasnt meant to live like this. no one was! and if he had anything to do about it, he wouldnt let her any longer. she had to understand he HAD to do this.

"NO." the girl refused to meet his eyes she crossed her arms determinedly. "jack..." her voice lowered. "youre all i have left... if something happened to you..."

"im going to be fine. believe me. dont worry about me im the one who should be worrying- about YOU." gypsy shook her head.

"just dont. please."

steve usually slipped into her cell in the mornings before he headed off to do his hero stuff. she asked him questions about the war and eventually the topic of peggy came up.

"i still miss her. its so weird thinking that shes so much older than me even if she were alive. its just so wrong." gypsy nodded sympathizing with the man.

"sorry. thats pretty hard to take. it must have been weird waking up... in this world." steve laughed softly.

"you have no idea." he shook his head in wonderment. "i dont think ill ever get used to it."

"maybe you dont have to. maybe thats part of the beauty of it. im always captured by things i couldnt possibly fathom. everything in this world is a miracle..." she looked off into the distance. sadly. steve gently patted her shoulder.

"someday, maybe you could come on missions with us. theres a lot of people out there in need of some miracles. banner learned to control his other side maybe you could too." gypsy shook her head vigourously abruptly standing up.

"no. im not like banner. other... she just wants to kill. she doesnt have a soul. she doesnt care. im not like you guys... im a bad guy... youre heroes."

"you dont have to be perfect to be a hero gypsy." steve placed a hand on her shoulder his sad blue eyes bored into hers. "i think theres hope. theres always hope. i see it in your smile. your laughter that breaks through the storm clouds. i see it. i think you can find it too. youre just not looking hard enough." and with that he turned and left the cell. standing in the doorway he offered up a goodbye. gypsy didnt reply. she stood there. frozen in place.

to give her something more to do, jack convinced the director to bring gypsy their broken guns and a few tools. it wasnt long before the girl was allowed in the weapons closet picking guns that could be improved and others that simply didnt work properly. she never stayed out of her cage long, even so she was formulating a plan. she had to get out of here. she couldnt take this for the rest of her life. there had to be another way. something. anything.

for now she bided her time, working on guns. trying to make polite conversation with the superheroes. which was getting harder and harder to do. they were heroes! out saving the world from the likes of her. sometimes she wondered if they all secretly hated her. these thoughts made her start to distance herself further with them all. even steve found her answers short but polite. her smiles always smiling goodbye. she always seemed to want to be alone or with jack. steve found this new gypsy harder than anyone else. hed grown closer to her and was disappointed to see her beginning to slide back into her shell. he tried to talk to her like they used to but it was never the same and eventually, he too took a few steps back, but he never gave up on her.

gypsy didnt always mean to push people away. it was just sometimes so hard to get close to people when you might lose them. everyone she loved seemed to disappear. she was a bad guy, a villain, so did she expect any different?

but she did. she often wondered what her life would have been like with matt. would it have ever worked out?... if she hadnt... killed him. thinking of matt put her in the deeper depression so for the most part she tried to forget about him. she never could though. hed pop up unexpectedly when an agent would smile and it would remind her of matts perfectly crooked grin. or when she almost swore she heard his voice encouraging her in the back of her mind. she was silent at these times. learning how to conceal her feelings. how to stop crying, how to hold it inside where she could silently nurse her wounds. she learned how not to share, how to pretend, not that everything was all right but that everything was as good as it could be expected to be.


	14. Chapter 14: the walking dead

jack didnt come. it had been three days since shed seen him. three long days when he always came by every day. time ticked by. gypsy had pulled a gun into her cell with her to tinker with it on her bed. the director himself came in.

"miss gypsy..." news like this was hardest to break. especially when all this girl went through was misery. what he wouldnt have done to give her just a bit of good news. just a little bit. but he had to tell was looking at him calculatingly no emotion showing in her hardened features.

"your brother... died." she looked down her face didnt change. she carefully twisted the last screw in the director watched her somewhat suprised but not letting it show on his face.

"in the lab he was working on something and there was an accident. he died instantly." the director cleared his throat nervous at her unresponsiveness. gypsy set the gun down uncurling her crossed legs and standing up. she lifted the gun carefully in her hands and analyzed it.

"he was working on a solution to fix me." the director wasnt sure if it was a question or not but he treated it as one.

"yes."

"what can you expect?" she looked up at him. "doesnt everyone you try to protect die? isnt that how life goes? you cant save them. just like he told me..." she seemed to be talking more to herself. she brushed past the director and walked nonchalantly out the door to her cell.

"im leaving." she stated as though she were simply stating that it was cold outside.

"miss-"

"dont try and stop me." she didnt turn around. she still held the gun and even though her fearures didnt change her fingers tightened ever so slightly around the metal n the gun.

true to her word, gypsy left. no one tried to stop her this time. everyone expected an explosion and when she left in an emotionless daze, everyone was left tense and waiting for reports of the next explosion. if they had tried to stop her gypsy probably would have killed everyne of them. she was leaving and that was the end of it, and she walked right out the front door.

no news of explosions came. as far as SHIELD was concerned gypsy karter dropped off the grid. she might as well have disappeared. but she hadnt as much as she wished she could she hadnt. this was all some terrible nightmare. that was all it was. so why treat it any differently? gypsy walked through her days like a sleepwalker. she didnt eat didnt drink. one doesnt needc nourishment in the dream world? she didnt cry. one cant cry in dreams. and strangely she didnt change. despite her apathetic nature other was quick to realize that the girl would let herself be torn apart from the inside before giving into the change. everything passed by her notice. she did disappear. curled up on the hard plank floors of the backwoods lab, gypsy finally found the hideout her brother had been working in. it was empty now but shed tracked it dpwn and knew for a fact this was the place. she sat on the ground, curled her knees up to her chest and didnt move except to breathe for days.

when jack came to her mind it didnt affect her nothing coulkd touch her. nothing made her care. she was broken and couldnt be broken any farther and so was finally safe. when she left the lab she wandered for days. she didnt know where she was going. she didnt know where she was. nor did she care. when she stumbled upon a seemingly abandoned boarded up building in the middle of a city she yanked off a board and slipped through te window. before she drifted into sleep she thought she might have heard rats scratching but didnt care. if they wanted to eat her alive. go for it. it didnt matter anymore. nothing mattered.

after his morning exercise routine steve was flipping through his sketchbook. he landed on a picture hed drawn of her. he hated to admit it but he really missed her. despite what shed been like those last couple weeks, he remembered her as she was before. when shed talk to him for hours about anything and everything. they liked to discuss controversial topics and she was tom boyish enough that steve didnt feel awkward talking to her. she was like his sister or something. even after shed started slipping back inside herself he kept the good memories. he often wondered what had happened to her. telling her so many things and then having her leave felt like she took part of him with her. she would always hold part of his heart. like a best friend in this changing world, he would never forget her.

bruce wished he could have helped the girl. she hadnt liked him though. HE knew they were alike. hed seen it in her eyes. the pain the sadness and hed understood. but shed pushed him away, even as he understood that- she was just like him, hed wished she woul have let him in. he knew he could have helped her but now it was too late. had any of them had any impCT ON HER? if anyone it would have been steve. out of all the heros shed grown closest to him. and bruce knew steve missed her. tony would tease steve about his girlfriend, but bruce knew it wasnt like that. there was no romantic feelings between the two. a different kind of love. a comradeship. two people in the whole world who despite their wide differences understood each other. in some weird way they found a connection where like people couldnt.

days, weeks... months. time was one being. it was nothing more than what the normal people in the world, what gypsy began to think of as the living, used. she was living. this wasnt living. so she didnt use time or days, consequently she didnt know how long she was in that old shack before people came. they must have came in through a back entrance because gypsy merely heard their muted voices as wood scraped back into place. in the front area still in the pitch dark gypsy curled into a ball as she sat up. she heard footsteps tramping closer as a flashlight swung into view. gypsy covered her eyes with a weak arm.

"miss?" a voice qustioned. too loud. gypsy hadnt heard human voices in ages. she stood up her clothes hanging haphazardly to her emaciated form. her face was hollow. the walking dead.

"are you allright? miss are you okay?" one voice after another. gypsys confused mind jumbled them into incomprehensible booming voices. she stumbled backwards and fell against the wall. gypsy started when one of them gently grabbed her arm. human touch. it felt like years since shed felt the warmth of another humans flesh. she jerked her arm back. once the desire came to her she could be stronger.

"what is she doing in here?" a harsher voice demanded. gypsy heard rather than saw the man turn to the harsher one . she wished they would turn off that flashlight. it was blinding..

"vagrant." the man muttered.

"does she know anything? what if she found...? how long has she been here?" the meaner man hissed. gypsy squeezed her eyes tighter and clamped her hands over her ears wishing they would shut up. voices hurt. light hurt. that smell of peoples flesh hurt. other was screaming for it. gypsy sighed weakly. every eye turned to her.

"no." she told them.

"oh shit." the harsher mans tone was breathless. "its her." did she know them? she didnt think so.

"im not going to hurt you." she told them. not sure if that was what they were afraid of.

"maybe," the man licked his lips. "maybe she can help us."

a plan was swirling in treys mind. once hed realized who this chic was he knew they were treading on dangerous territory. inwardly he wondered how shed gotten out of SHIELD as much as hed like to have her help for extra protection and intimidation he knew shed never agree to that but at the same time he couldnt let her leave. it was tricky business. he wondered if hed get cash for turning her in. course he wouldnt do it himself... but having john do it might do the trick... he just had to make sure she didnt get freaked out. he forced an easy smile. he was good at acting. one needed to be when dealing with unsavory characters. pretend their your best friends but always keep a finger on the triggers what he always said.

they gave her food. it probably was good but to gypsy it tasted like ashes it brought her strength back though. while she was eating she analyzed them. the lantern seated in the middle of the table lit up each of the three mens faces. one was young his brown eyes looked nearly black in the light. he didnt speak but let his leader do the talking. the leader was the nice one whod taked his gray hair made him look honest but not old. his blue eyes were shades darker than gypsys but still fairly light. the harsh one, was muscular and tall he had calculating brown eyes that analyzed gypsy even as she analyzed him. trey, their leader spoke first. he had his hands clasped in front of him and an easy smile was usually on his face.

"so gypsy, " he seemed nervous... why? "weve been working on some things... deals and from your history we thought you might hep us." gypsy took a quick look around the room.

"illegally distrubuting weapons," she stated calmly. "isnt going so well. youre buyers are being tracked down. so youve had to lie low. but you have a deal that could possibly bring you back into business. so what do you want me to do?"greg, the harsh one, looked unnerved by the information she so coolly stated. trey looked suprised at first then it was quickly wiped away by an expression of relief. the boy, john, was apperently ignoring all of them. gypsy decided he must be treys kid. dragged along to his dads work.

"smart one. youll need that in our line of work." his easy smile was back. "we need someone to help us make weapons. youve gotten pretty famous for that believe it or not." gypsy pushed back her chair.

"i cant help you." she shook her head. "im sorry." treys smile was forced and desperate now. and gypsy realized keenly that despite his kind attitude he was someone one wouldnt want to mess with.

"then it seems were going to have to reach an understanding." treys smile didnt waver. gypsy saw his hand twitch ever so slightly reaching for a weapon no doubt.

"im certain my talent for fixing weapons wasnt the only thing youve heard about." gypsys gaze was calculating. locking her eyes on treys but keeping tabs on the other two out of the corner of her eyes. trey took her hint all in stride. this was a game of tricks. she knew she couldnt let other out for protection. she wasnt going to risk it. but at the same time, she couldnt let them hurt her- then she wouldnt be able to resist the change. but did he know she wouldnt change? was he cautious for fear of her changing? gypsy had to count on it. both sides stood still tension breathing down both of their necks. trey wouldnt let her leave and gypsy knew it. but gypsy was refusing to force her way out. the were at a standstill opposing forces. gypsy could kill them all so easily and be done with it but she couldnt at the same time. there must be no struggle. she couldnt change. tense seconds passed while everyone remained frozen after gypsys last words. then the door burst in. a black trenchcoated figure flew in the door. he froze when his eyes rested on her. this looked bad. really bad. gypsy wasnt a bad guy! other was! but there was no time for her to explain. the punisher was back on track and in a blood bath fight. all the men had grabbed guns and were fighting if not well then bravely. gypsy dove unnoticed out of the line of fire. she was on the good side. franks side. she picked up a gun from inside a crate. then quickly fired at the boy john, the last one standing, who was cowering behind a crate. all three were dead. frank slid his gun across his shoulder straightening from his position crouched behind the crate and looked at her. recognition flickered briefly across his gaze.

"so you made it out alive? not many can manage that." the way he said it sounded almost accusing. he strode past her and carefully began pulling weapons out of the crates to analyze them.

"thanks." gypsy muttered half heartedly. "for helping me."

"i didnt do it for you." just facts. "these guys had it coming for a while." gypsy nodded.

"no wonder they wanted your help improving these. most of these suck." frank set a gun back in its case with obvious distaste. gypsy was half way suprised that hed heard all that. how long had he been there?

"trey seemed so nice." she admitted looking at the body with the blown off head that minutes before had been talking to her and was now dead.

"they all do. someone as smart as you should be smarter bout wjo you trust." gypsy was trying to decide if that was a compliment or an insult when he abruptly hefted one of the crates and walked back out the door hed come in through.

"unless you want trouble with the authoritys you better get out of here quick." he warned.

"wait." gypsy rushed to the door just as he was getting into his car. she searched quickly for something to ask him. 'youre leaving me?' sounded needy. and almost like she cared. se could defend herself just fine. she gulped and settled for a lame; "where are you going?" he raised his eyebrows as if to say "like id tell you." started his engine and left.


	15. Chapter 15: ENTER PUNISHER

gypsy was back at jacks lab. shed brought a few crates of those guns with her. it was the only place she knew to go to. she worked on those weapons to no , it was the only thing that kept her sane. but now that her apathetic attitude was leaving so was her grip. she knew the attack would come any day. she couldnt hold off forever and yet she had to. if she didnt theyd come after her. shed get thrown into that cell again and this time shed probably never escape. since she was far out of the way of any civilization gypsy tested her guns with target practice. no one was around to hear her. no one was around to tell her not to shoot squirells or birds. so she did. and skinned, cooked and ate them too. most of the time she ignored her hunger because she knew she couldnt die from starvation. nfortunately.

it was while she was stalking the woods around her shack looking for her next prey that he came. she didnt see him at first. he was so silent. but when she picked up her bloody dinner and turned around to head home she spotted him easily. he wasnt hiding.

"castle." she nodded calmly. "hungry? ive got dinner." she strode past him and headed into her shack.

"no. nice gun though. thats not one of those crappy ones from that shed is it?" he picked it up off the table where shed set it analyzing it with obvious approval.

"how much you charge to fix up guns?" gypsy lifted it out of his hands and hng it up on its place on the wall.

"i dont sell my work. you should know that." she clenched her jaw slightly as she picked up a skinning knife.

"that so? even if its for the right side?"

"not for money no. i have too many debts to be accepting payment when i do the right thing. for you castle its no charge."

"debts? is that what you call it?" gypsy spun around pointing the bloody skinning knife at him.

"yeah! thats what i call it. you wanna give it another name? be my guest." her tones were pure ice belying the fact that her eyes briefly flashed faming red. frank didnt flinch.

"no i suppose that names as good as any." gypsy threw the knife down into the sink in distaste. she rubbed at her head. 'why was he so freakin calm?!'

"dont agree with me!" she snapped, head pounding. he smirked softly but was glad she wasnt looking at him to see it.

"i wont. believe me."

"just take your guns and get out. have you pick." she waved off handedly at the crates of weapons shed fixed up.

she heard clanging and then the door swing shut behind him. once he was gone gypsy sank to the ground finally letting the tears flow. why did she always snap? the only person shed seen in ages and she yells at him and chases him away? lost cause. once again she wondered what it would be like to have someone around to chase the darkness away. someone to help her heal. someone to talk to. she thought of jack first then matt. she always in some way or another killed everyone she loved. so why even try again?

weeks later frank came back. he brought supplies. gypsy tried to refuse them but somehow she couldnt do it with her stomach begging her for

nourishment. he also brought more guns for her to fix up.

"sorry i snapped at you." she tried an apology. frank didnt reply. he just nodded. he understood her. he would never tell her he did. that first day hed come hed heard her crying. something had stirred inside him at her anguished cries. someone just as messed up as him? no way. it was impossible. yet he wondered if he could help her. hed wanted to. almost wanted to rush back in and hold her in his arms, comort her. but that was silly. that was a tender sweet thing to do. something that someone who cared would do. frank didnt care. so hed walked away her cries pounding into his brain with every step he took away.

"ill be back soon. if you can finish these. you need anything else from the city?" he was crouched down on the ground in front of the wepons hed brought. when gypsy looked at his face she saw something. like he almost cared. she looked away. looking in peoples eyes made her feel like she was invading in something private, something secret that she shouldnt know.

"no im fine."

"i had this person i knew. she used to tell me good memories can keep you alive." frank gently rubbed the metal side of the gun and avoided meeting gypsys eyes. gypsy snorted to keep the tears away.

"what if i dont want to be alive? i cant die." less emotion! gypsy you DONT CARE ANYMORE! REMEMBER?! she was fighting with herself again. she stood up.

"so ive heard. i dont believe it. you did die. i remember those months after he died. you died. but somehow you held onto yourself in a different way after your brother died..." gypsy wanted to say she hadnt held on. that shed died just as much for jack as she had for matt. but frank was right. when matt died shed let other have the reins, shed hid from the world, content to have nothing to do with it anymore. when jack died... it had been different shed hid inside erself but hadnt released other. if nothing else she wasnt going to let the rest of the world suffer this time because of her pain. she refused. blatently refused. when she turned around to reply frank was gone.

frank did come by to pick up his weapons but this time gypsy left them neatly packed and she was gone. he hated himself for being disappointed. it wasnt like it mattered. he dropped off the supplies hed brought and left as well. he convinced himself he wasnt worried. she could take care of herself just fine. she didnt need anyone else. but he knew that wasnt true. the girl had no one, and she wasnt as strong as she wanted to be. not on the inside anyway. sometimes frank wished he could save her. save her from herself and the cruel, cold world.

gypsy pulled on a coat brought a pistol inside its pocket and left the shhack. she walked to the city and was near the superhero cafe till she saw him go inside. all the heros at one time or another went to olivias cafe and steve rogers was no exception. once he headed out with a cup of coffee in hand gypsy slid into pace beside him. he looked over at her. he didnt recognize her at first but then he did a double take and gypsy tried a sad smile.

"gypsy? its you... i... what? where?" his mind was so obviously jumbled gypsy genuinely smiled for the first time in what must be years.

"steve. i needed to talk to you." her heart swelled at the expression he wore. he was glad to see her! once they were back inside the cafe they took a booth in the far corner where it was quieter.

"i almost didnt recognize you. are you okay?" now he loooked concerned. gypsy looked off to the side.

"i need advice." she took a shuddering breath. "i dont know what to do. steve... im going to explode literally. i dont want to hurt anyone anymore. i dont want to be a monster," tears started to prick her eyes at her desperation. he reached across the table and she accepted his hand, wishing it was his arms and hed just hold her while she cried.

"but i cant hold her back forever. and i cant go back to that cell. i cant do it! im not a criminal! im not a bad person! i wasnt... not before! steve i cant live like this!" she cried brokenly. she hadnt thought shed be able to cry anymore. how many tears can one person have? she angrily ripped napkins out of the dispenser to wipe her eyes and nose.

"gypsy... im sorry. the only place shes not going to hurt anyone is in that cell..." his eyes were sad. he hated to see her trapped almost more than she hated being trapped.

"then you dont understand!" she wailed. "you cant tell anyone you saw me." she looked up at him suddenly. he gulped.

"i wont. i promise." she buried her face in her hands again. "listen... gypsy. i dont know any other way. i dont think there is any other way..." she cried harder. "youre safe there... atleast..."

"NO! im not! hell cant drag me back there! i wont go! i dont care! why cant i just die?!" tears stung steves eyes. this hurt. the only way out in sight for this girl was death. but even that release was denied her. her weak form shook. she looked dead. she must not have had a decent meal in weeks.

steve had no words. how could he comfort someone in her position. he was actually glad when he saw someone slide into the booth with her.

"gypsy." the punisher hissed. he gently pried her hands off her face.

"NO! i dont want to see you. and i wont go anywhere untill someone finds a way to kill me." she scooted farther away from him.

"fine," steve was the only one to see the look on the punishers face as he laid eyes on gypsys quivering form.

"then stay here and let THEM find you." he pointed out the window until gypsys eyes followed his finger. when she didnt reply he grabbed her wrist and towed her out behind him. through the back door and into his van.

steve was watching where frank had been pointing. military. also probably after gypsy, he knew more military personnel had been stalking new yorks streets since gypsy left SHIELD. steve didnt know how those two had met but castle was helping gypsy and she needed someones help. steve was actually glad it was those two. he headed out the front door hopped onto his harley and roared off down the road.


	16. Chapter 16: meet the other girl

gypsy stared blankly out the window as they drove castle remained silent.

"i was fine." gypsy told him. "i could havetaken care of myself just fine."

"in prison?" he casiually asked. gypsy tensed.

"i dont always need someones help to get out. i got out of SHIELD just fine." she lifted her chin slightly.

"good for you." gypsys eyes slitted. they pulled off the road and drove along the bumpy dirt trail to gypsys shack. when she hopped out of the car frank followed her inside.

"didnt get your guns?" she questioned tersely as she glanced around for the tell tale crate.

"no i did." he gently set his gun propped up against the wall.

"you know im going o explode soon right?" gypsy crossed her arms. frank nodded.

"yeah. its bound to happen sooner or later."

"if youre still here ill probably kill you."

"if im not still here youll kill the rest of the world." he smiled grimly looking her right in the eyes. so he wasnt leaving. well fine then. let him risk his life. she wouldnt mourn the loss if he died.

gypsys breathing shuddered hours later. she bit down hard on her tongue to keep from sceaming. frank was just outside those thin walls she didnt want him to hear her. pain ripped through her body. itd been so long since shed had an explosion, the pain was excruciating. the other girl was lighting her on fire just like she did to every other thing in this world. gypsy sank to her knees. her white fingers clenched around the rug. she tried to hold it back but the scream ripped through despite her best efforts.

frank wasnt sleeping he was outside. the hour was late. he was waiting though. when he heard her bloodcurdling scream rip through the night noises. he hefted his tranquilizer it was time. she came out in a startling rush. her eyes rested him on like nothing more than meat for a starving person. frank hadnt imagined hed be so unnerved by that gaze, but he was. she knew it too. he read it in her too red eyes that she knew everything.

"so you must be other," he said politely. "ive heard so much about you." she laughed harshly.

"and i you. the notorious punisher isnt what i expected." she smiled widely white teeth glinting as though she couldnt wait to bit into his flesh. franks eyes glinted dangerously. she was so much different than gypsy.

"thats not your real name. is it?" he looked at her sideways ready to fire in a millisecond if she gave any indication of attacking. despite his tenseness, the punisher appeared calm. for a moment her smile slipped revealing a death glare but it was up again in a blink.

"enough about me darling lets talk about you." she laughed lightly. sashaying slowly towards him. "what makes you tick? what would it take to make you burn?" at the word burn her eyes lit up. she was so hungry, starving really to light him up. frank matched her lightness and laughed.

"really? cant come up with anything more creative? is it always burn with you? burn or shoot? can you fight with your hands at all?" frank had a plan.

"indeed." other tossed her black softly curled head up spiritedly. she shrugged off her trenchcoat and weapons and stood before him in her red dress.

"can you?" she challenged off handedly studying her long red nails but keeping a careful eye on him. in reply frank set down his tranq gun. he knew he couldnt win any other way but was still shocked when in a bare instant she was on top of him her clawed nails ripping at his throat. she was fast but he was too. he slipped out of her grasp twisting and wrestling her.

"stronger than you look." he muttered.

"you aswell dear heart. pity you have to die. because of my lack of creativity ill be sure to burn you after this." she laughed at her own joke.

wrestling both his hands in hers she twisted sticking her foot out and kicking his legs out from under him but she was suprised when he twisted and pinned her to the ground. he pulled out a syringe uncapped it with his teeth as he held her down with one arm.

"maybe youll kill me next time." he admitted stabbing it into her arm. other quickly stopped resisting as the tranq serum spread through her blood.

"its too bad youre only human." she whispered. "we could have made a good team."

"thanks for the offer." her eyes shut and she shifted back to gypsy. he gently picked her unconscious form up and carried her inside. he left after setting her in the bed.

gypsy woke up with a start still in the shack. frank was gone and her pounding headache told her she had most certainly shifted into other. but besides that she had no idea of the occurences of the night before. she knew he must be allright. why did he leave like that? why should he stay? she demanded herself. it wasnt like she cared. inside her other laughed keep telling yourself that. gypsy pushed other from her mind she pulled out more of the punishers guns and set to work.

frank was fighting. just like he always did. stalking criminals and then punishing them. but it wasnt right. he kept thinking of her. she did need help. she did need someone to show her the right way to go. no one else was brave enough to do it. frank had to. so he did a little research. turns out those scientists working with that matthew kurtis dude, werent all dead. frank was in the original lab where she killed her only love and all those doctors. scientists never hid their secret documents well enough. the papers he found there combined with google gave him all the information he needed.

a week or two later gypsy had finished working on the guns and castle returned. he slapped a small stack of papers down on the table. gypsy handed him the gun shed just finished as she picked up the papers curiously.

"what is this?" she read briefly and then looked back up at him quizically. frank met her eyes head on.

"those scientists matt was working with. not all of them are dead." he said it like a challenge. what would she do about it?

"but i... she killed all of them..."

"all of them in the room. theres more out there." he handed her the gun shed just handed him and she looked at it with a new light.


	17. Chap 17: walk through hell with a smile

for days frank stuck around. gypsy was indecisive. for the longest time shed been fighting against herself, because she killed people. and now she was supposed to go out and kill these people herself? it was wrong to her mind. if only she could see that not all killing was bad.

"listen gypsy" she was hunched over a newer confusing model of a gun working on taking it apart to switch out the spring and fix a few other things. she didnt look up but she was lisening.

"these people... they killed matt. you do have a purpose. i get it i see how wrong it is to you. but its not wrong if you can help people. these people werent working on a solution to help you. they were working on a way to recreate you. they tricked matt." gypsy held her head battling herself. frank remained crouched down in front of her.

"they are still working on it too and if they can theyll turn more people into-"

"a monster." gypsy said hoarsely. "theyll turn more people into the monster i am." she looked up into his eyes, her own were red rimmed.

"im not as brave as you frank. im not a hero. theres a place for people like me, its six feet under. its hell." she shook her head no self pity evident in her eyes. just self loathing.

"no. youre wrong." frank spoke clearly and authoritively. "youve been six feet under. youve made it through hell. youve died more times than youd like to admit. but youre alive now and its for a purpose. you are brave. youve kept going. people like you and me gypsy we dont go to hell we get hell on earth, and we keep going. you can choose to be a hero or you can choose to let ypour other side make a name for you, whether you like that name or not." frank clenched his jaw standing up abruptly.

"its your decision." then he turned and left. leaving gypsy clutching the gun like a lifeline. her head spinning with decisions.

frank didnt come back the next day and gypsy knew what she had to do. she clutched the papers hed left on the table. her blue eyes were set. this must be what it felt like to finally do what she was born for. she threw on her trenchcoat, loaded it with her weapons of warfare. frank had left a crate for her. he knew what shed decide. gypsys fingers curled around the smooth metal of her gun and she came alive. she was ready for this.

it wasnt hard to find the place. the darkness was a lovely cover she quickly realized. she passed bars with drunk men stumbling out and about. gypsy kept her pistol in her hand and shoved in her coat pocket. the farther she walked the tenser she became. houses that would be shady even by daylight leered down at her hauntingly. what gypsy knew must be gang members stalked the streets. she kept to herself as much as possible. this part of new york was quite unfamilar. and it was still miles to her destination. be brave. youve been through hell. youve been six feet under. what have you got to fear? if the punisher can believe in you- hell yeah ypu can do anything! she strode more confidently after these thoughts. now people were avoiding her. and they better. she wasnt going to be messed with. this was for matt and hell couldnt stand in her way. if it did shed probably blast it to high heaven.

out of all the shady places gypsyd seen this was the worst. it looked like a meth lab thatd been closed down, reopened as something even worse if that was possible. maybe once or twoice been used as a makeshift jailhouse but the inmatess had killed all the guards then the convicts had taken turns killing themselves until the last one committed suicide. and then it had gone back to being a meth lab which it must be right now cause gypsy did NOT recognize the awful smell emenating from the cracks boarding up the windows and door. she cocked her gun and slipped around to the back entrance. prying off a loose board she slipped inside. she listened carefully then pulled out her flashlight. bottles and vials lined the shelves. not meth. frank must be right. this was mad scientisyt lab stuff. her eyes rested on a bottle of blood. her blood. she picked it up and not caring about the noise hurled it at the far wall it shattered loudly. heedless and angry, gypsy threw open drawers and sifted through their papers. matt had died for this? it made her sick. these bastards had no right to involve him in this ost cause. oh why had she let this happen? when the door open she spun around clutching the telltale papers in her tightening fist she stared down the man whod entered.

"what are you doing in here?" he demanded in a thick accent. he raised a [istol and aimed it at her heart. she didnt flinch.

"shootdare you. you should know first though that that blood," she stabbed a finger at the far wall where her blood glistened oddly in the light. "is mine." he froze a moment then looked at her again.

"you lie."

"try me." she challemged through gritted teeth. "where are they?" she demanded taking another step towards him her eyes flashed briefly, vividly red but she suppressed the change. this was all hers. she was going to kill them by herself.

"who?" he tried to control the wavering in his accented voice.

"YOURE SCIENCE BUDDYS!" her voice was loud and uncaring of the attentionit attracted she picked up a vial from the table and hurled it at the wall beside his head.

"all of them! i want all of them!" she didnt realize her hands were around his neck until shed lifted him off the ground.

"ow- out! their out!" she dropped him lightly. she was barely resisting the change but just enough borderline to steal some of others strength without her mind.

""where? now." weakly he ointed at the ceiling.

"for your cooperation, you get a quick death. you better be right. or youll get worse than hell for lying to me." she smiled sweetly and fired him straight in the head. his blood exploded onto her but she barely noticed she walked straight up that dark staircase.

she threw open the first door.

"so he told the truth." she muttered. five men were staring her down. geeks with guns that they held bravely only one was muscled but they all tried to put on a brave face. gypsy laughed. half her laugh, half others. two voices mingled it was hard to tell who she was. and the men vwere visibly shaken up.

"put the guns down boys if you want to die quickly if not. shoot me and my other girl will burn you all slowly. just a precursor to where youre going." they didnt move she kept talking. " on the night of the eighteenth, august eighteenth. i killed the love of my life. since i cant die, somebodys gotta pay. i figured it might as well be the very guys who dragged matthew kurtis into it. the ones whose intentions werent so noble." her expression was all serious. "in case you didnt get that. thats you." she cocked her gun. they attacked. muscle man rushed at gypsy knocking the gun out of her hands he shoved her to the ground but she leapt back up and kicked him swiftly with both her feet in the gut. she stabbed her blade into his heart five times before she spun around to catch someone else with the edge of her knife in their gut.

"trying to catch me off gusrd? not likely." gypsy muttered as she leapt for another one he fired at her three times but she kept walking each bullet sank deep into her heart but she barely flinched. she twirled her knife. her outfit was already changing even as she walked her form shifted effortlessly into the other girls. shed been halfway out nearly the whole time. her red nails grew her scarlett eyes flashed. she dug into each one of them withher bare nails. and when she was done she reveled in their lovely red blood that painted her.

frank heard the fire sirens going off and knew who it was he finished up the work he was doing quickly with three rounds of bullets then darted off down the road. there she was. frank lifted his tranq gun and just as she was turning to see him- he fired. but this time she dodged and was in front of him in an instant.

"ive been wondering something." frank looked directly into her red, red eyes. he didnt fear her in the least and for other- that was unnerving.

"wonder away,"

"you asked me a question a our last meeting... you asked me what it is that makes me tick. and ive been wondering what it is that makes you tick? whats so different about you? whats your story? youve been thriving long before gypsy if my guess is right. what makes you tick?" her mask slipped for a moment revealing a face burdened with responsibility. eyes that shone with her own inadequacy at the purpose she alone could accomplish. but her gaze snapped back into place quickly.

"my darling, you of all people should know," her hand reaced up red nails carving tenderly along the line of his jaw. frank pushed her hand down as one would brush away a fly. his expression remained even. she smiled widely red eyes looking through him to his bones, his pumping heart, his soul.

"purpose." the one word was the truest thing shed said in a long time and frank knew it. somehow he could ignore the chaos around them. he wanted answers and he wasnt going to be satisfied till he got them. "we are alike, you and i. a purpose only we can fulfill. if only," her eyes finally saw him as a person instead of kindling and she look at him with longing. "if only you saw what a great team wed make. we could save the world."

"which one?" frank asked coolly.

"mine." saying that word made her flash again. more animal than human, glinting white teeth, flashing red eyes, seeking prey and seeing it in anything.

"theyve abandoned you. here. why do you still fight their battles? youre right we could be a good team. if only you woke up to see the right side." her eyes were sad.

"i cant wake up. im a machine." her red eyes faded into that soft blue. and standing before him was gypsy her clothing shifted quickly, muscles rippling and shifting down to her own. frank turned away slightly.

"nice chat."

"what?" the girl looked confused but frank didnt offer up an explanation.

"listen karter, you need to just go back to SHIELD, maybe they can give you the help you need." even as he said it he knew it wasnt true. he swiped his hand through his hair.

"maybe ill see you around." he muttered lamely as he walked away. gypsy was left speechless and alone.


	18. Chapter 18:decisions

steve raced down the stairs swiftly and flipped on the lights in his exercise room. he didnt notice at first the girl seated on one of the beams high up in the rafters. she was watching him silently and swinging her feet from her spot high off the ground.

"steve," he was humming while he wrapped his hands to ptect them.

"steve!" a little bit louder. he glanced around but not up.

"STEVE!" his eyes looked up at the girl. the usually calm blue alive with suprise.

"gypsy? i thought you ran off with... um.."

"no um didnt want tell anyone im here. please." she lightly slid off the rail dropping the last distance to the hard floor with a soft thud. "i dont know where to go." her eyes searched his for a solution. steve glanced up the darkened staircase hed come down then back at her.

"stay here." he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "please. we can help you."

she wanted to snapback 'like you did before? when my brother died? when i was stuck in a cage without hope?' but she held her tongue with obvious effort.

"im not going back into that cage."

"no." steves expression was pained that shed suggest something like that. "ill make sure that doesnt happen again."

true to his word, rogers didnt let gypsy be placed in a cell. in fact he kept her hidden. the only person he told of her presence at all was bruce. bruce had been working on a serum for her to keep the other at bay, if not permenantly atleast temporarily. that was what steve came down to talk to gypsy about days later.

"he thinks he can help you." steve finished. gypsy picked up his hand absentmindedly tracing the creases and avoiding his eyes.

"i killed matt... because he thought he could help me. it didnt work. im not letting anyone else die for my mistakes." her eyes shone with steely determination as she met his. steve let his breath out slowly.

"gypsy...what if its the only way?" he whispered desperately. he wanted to pull her into his arms and will the worlds problems away. he wanted to wipe every tear from her eyes.

"im not going to put you or bruce in danger. thats pure selfishness. its wrong." she gripped his hand tighter hanging on for dear life. "theres got to be another way." she was asking him and he knew it. his hand gently circled her back pulling her closer to him. his lips went down she closed her eyes. she kissed him deeply but then she jerked back with a start eyes flashing red she gripped her hair in her hands.

"im sorry. steve im sorry." her eyes looked at him pleadingly. red mingling with the blue like fire and ice. the change was close but gypsy was holding it back with everything in her. she pushed out the emergency exit door. running faster and faster.

other was free. and she knew where she was going. she kept running until she found was in the worst part of the city of course and he was paying some well deserved punishment. she hadnt burned a single thing on the way or even used her gun once. when she burst into the room frank turned to stare at her in shock.

"you left me." the gang members were all staring at her aswell. but she kept her unwavering red gaze on frank.

"not as much of a machine as youd like to think are you?" he raised his eyebrows and tossed her a gun. "the choice is yours. youve proven it." other held the gun his gun. she smiled widely red eyes flashing briefly. she tossed it back.

"baby, ive got my own weapons."


	19. Chapter 19: look behind you

PART TWO! (rousing cheers)

me: okay guys just a little bit more acting, trust me itll get normal soon.

tony: when are we going to see some action?!like frank and gypsy action?(smiles wickedly at both the punishers)

frank: growls

me-as-gypsy: -tosses her head and crosses her arms- whenever we feel like it! dont rush us tonyboy.

tony:nudges steve- did you see that blondie? that chics eyes just flashed red! i mean real RED in her eyes!

me:oh yeah, and steve youre not in love with gypsy youre just suffering infatuation...so yeah keep doing what youre doing.

clint: when do i get to come in? i mean really come in? thats what youre story needs livvyloo everyones favorite hero: hawkeye!

peter: sorry buddy, thats me. i mean -throws his hands in the air as though basking in the praise- everybody LOVES ME!

thor:-bonks peter on the head lightly with his hammer, lightly if thats possible. lol- midgardian hush!

loki: livia...you havent mentioned me...ATALL.

me:...

loki:im not going to be a bad guy in this one am i? -fixes the author with his best death glare-

me: laughs nervously- no, no, loki. im getting to you. -more nervous laughter.-

loki: mewling quim!

me:i love it when you talk dirty! -kisses-

frank, tony, peter,matt murdock, waid wilson, and logan whos popped in suddenly:-all throw loki away from me.-

me: glances around bashfully as everyone glares at me.

frank:-grabs my hand- cmon gypsy lets go

tony: uh uh big guy, shes in livia mode which means shes all mine!

logan: no! shes in grey mode. you cant have her.-six very convincing reasons pop out of the mans knuckles on his clenched fists.-

peter: britta...-looks at me beseechingly-

me: -throws hands into the air while stepping backwards- whoa guys we can share right? -at their uncompromising looks the girl looks to the asgardian for help.- SAVE ME!

thor:of course fair maiden.

all the other guys: but you dont even LIKE thor!

the night came alive for the two of them. the otherworlder and the punisher. she wouldnt have allowed anyone else to stand beside her in battle longer than the time it took her to fire straight into their skull. but for some reason she let frank. she knew she could have killed him easily but she didnt want to. it was something no one else could ever fathom. not even the girl herself. but letting him live didnt make her feel weaker. it made her feel stronger. independent. she was finally finding that she didnt need to kill everyone in the world. midgard wasnt her enemy, somehow now it was her home and she was discovering it with wide open eyes. it was a new experience for other. she found out that they were both right- they did make a great team. but only by doing it the right way.

as the dawn approached other slipped back into gypsy. she was tired. but just before she lost herself she grabbed franks arm.

"castle." she whispered, her form already starting to shift and every word cost her dearly. "thank you." then she let herself sink to the ground. her form shifted back and she lay unconscious on the ground a moment until gypsy sat up tiredly. she looked up at frank.

"what... happened?" she asked groggily holding her head as she stood up.

"you fought well." he replied cryptically. she took a shuddering breath. gathering her bearings.

"ive gotta go." he turned away from her and disappeared into the slowly lightening world. now he wouldnt have to worry about her anymore. her other wouldnt make the same mistakes. he was sure of that. she didnt need him anymore. shed make it just like she always somehow had.

as he walked away gypsy felt a part of her leaving with him. she knew that was goodbye as surely as she knew that the sun rose every morning. he wasnt coming back. she wasnt sure she wanted to analyze her feelings just then but she felt other screaming at her. well atleast half of her would miss him.

as the saying goes: what you dont know cant kill you... BS. what gypsy didnt know, was most certainly killing her. if she had known what was going on in a military base in idaho maybe she could have escaped her fate maybe she could have taken precautions as it was, she didnt know and by the time she found out it was already too late to save herself...

captain michael gray been on her trail and his quarry was barely slipping through his fingertips. but now he had her pinned. she had left new york. since that last explosion in new york city she hadnt had another one but now hed found her. and there was no escaping this time. she was in ohio now he stabbed the exact location with his finger. now that she wasnt under that damned SHIELDS protection he could find her. and this time he was doing it the right way: himself.

gypsy pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders hopped off the bus and kept walking. it wasnt far yet. the building was tall and looming a stone structure. doing this outside of new york was the only way. she rapped lightly on the door. it was answered by a middle aged man slightly balding his wrinkles subsided into soft folds framing his smile.

"what might i do for ya young lady?"

"youre research on different realms..." she started. he grabbed her hand and led her inside.

"i wouldnt normally do this foranyone... but what do you need to know?" he led her down a hallway and into a room stacked high with papers and file cabinets that gypsy had to wonder what they held when all the paper in the world seemed to be strewn haphazardly around the room.

"i was wondering if you knew about the creatures that come from a certain kingdom and how one could kill them." he quickly collected ppers from various places across the room.

"youre going to have to be more specific than that deary."

after gypsy told him all about her other side. he nodded hed heard of her in the paper. several papers she was quite famous he noted none too gently. gypsy nodded meekly bowing her head slightly.

"ever since that wild invasion in new york with those other worlders..." he scanned another sheet of paper circling stuff with a red pen as him and gypsy sat in the living room. she tried looking through some of his stuff for useful information but it was greek to her. plus, most of it was covered up by his own notes and circlings so that she couldnt read it at all. "i began researching other realms. its tricky business but its quite fascinating. ive got time im retired anyway. never did much like that word 'retired'. like were milk thats turned. 'cept when its milk we just toss it in the trash people i guess they cant get thrown out so we toss em to the curb and try to keep them out of the way." he shrugged non commitally. gypsy realized he didnt really want a response he just liked to talk. he was probably lonely having no one to talk to. "anyway, i have fun. specially when i can help nice girls out like you. AH! heres something." a knock sounded at the door and he abruptly stood up pushing his glassses up on his head and setting down his sheaf of papers.

"ill get this really fast. might be the phone guy. i called him last week. still hasnt had the decency to show up. damn those unreliable phone companies..." his voice trailed off as he reaced the door and opened it.

"hello? can i help you?"

"were looking for a miss gypsy karter." oh no.

"my name aint gypsy or karter. call me carlton. its nice to meet you." gypsy heard a grumble as carlton was shoved out of the way she heard bootfalls. she stood up and darted off down the hallway, but once she slipped out the window she was met face to face with the edge of a gun. momentarily her eyes flashed red. but gypsy suppressed it quickly. slowly she raised her hands. the uniformed military personnel kept their guns trained at her and their were a lot of them. plan. she needed a plan. why were they tracking her down now? shed have to switch. it was the only way. she ran letting the bullets pound into her changing even as she ran. they were yelling right behind her. bullets ripped through her body tearing flesh that healed rapidly in time for the next bullet to rip into it. other kept running when she wanted to fight. but everytime she pictured ripping them to shreds shed picture frank and then picture how much good each of these military men might do. they wre misinformed but they werent the enemy. so before she thought better of it she kept running. eventually they were left in the dust. or they might have been if the captain hadnt taken precautions. the tank was heading straight for other and when it fired the explosions shredded right through the black ashphalt of the street like water. and when it collided with the girl she was lost from sight for a moment in its fiery depths but then when it subsided she was still standing there. she stared the military that surrounded her and halfway wished shed killed them when shed had the chance. now she was trapped. one of them had the good sense to finally just tranq her and the otherworlder fell to the ground.


	20. Chapter 20: WRONG!

unconscious, other and gypsy tried as one to gain a grip on reality. pain ripped through their body. but the drugs theyd gave them proved too much. and so the doctors were able to operate on the girl. injections, serums, blood transfusions. nothing seemed to work. other tried to blot it all out. she felt so powerless. all she could think of was what a fool shed been. she should have killed these midgardians when she had the chance. she hated herself for being so weak. now they were winning and she was losing. but the tide quickly turned when one of the doctors used the wrong serum. or maybe hed simple overdosed on the right serum regardless, other saw her chance. she shot awake. grabbing his arm in her pale fingers she squeezed until she hit bone he screamed but it all happened so fast. she broke free of her chains grabbed injections off the shelves and stabbed them into the doctors before they could flee. then she pulled out her knife. she carefully carved out each unconscious doctors heart. six in all and laid them on the floor. then she headed outside of the lab. she bit into each of the guards with teeth and nail. when the blood was spilled other came alive. everything was forgotten except that wonderful blood, so easily spilled. and there were so many of them. they kept coming at her but she dodged their tranqs and let their bullets sink into her heart just to scare them a bit. then she tore into each of them. it was thrilling to have blood covering her hands again. when she found the captain in charge of it all her eyes lit up.

"ah... so ive scared you havent i?" her eyes lit up dancing joyfully. "so you thought youd take me out. you never considered the consequences. no. how could you fail at such a just cause? the blood wouldnt be on your hands." he picked up his gun and fired at her but she kept walking. she ripped the gun from his hands and held both his hands in her own.

"there. now the blood is on your hands too. doesnt it become you?" she didnt wait for a reply. she was about to cut him open when a noise from behind made her pause, but when she turned her eyes lit upon someone else. someone with sad blue eyes. someone whose eyes werent sad they were furious. he strode across the room. his form shook with rage. but not at her. he placed the barrel of his pistol under the captains chin.

"i would want you to die a slow painful death... i would want you to suffer... but you dont deerve to live any longer." he fired quickly. other backed up.

"you were wrong." she told him her eyes were flashing with anger at him and confusion. "they wanted ME dead. and they didnt care what they did to gypsy to take me out of their world. your people are..." she searched for the right word.

"wrong." he took a step towards her, both of them splattered with blood. "they are wrong about you. its still your choice what you do. those guards were misinformed, but that captain he was wrong. he shouldnt have done that. youre not a bad guy!" franks voice was louder than other had ever heard him use before. he swept a hand through his hair. other was looking at the real frank right now she didnt ever want to let this sight go. this was the man behind the mask.

"maybe i am!" she tried desperately to hold onto her anger but was losing things to be angry at.

"not anymore. youve changed. look at you. youre independent and this world is yours as much as mine with all its faults. we take out the bad guys to protect the good ones." he closed the distance between them. his breath was hot upon her face. other lifted her face and their lips met slowly at first. but other pulled him in closer, lifting her hands behind his neck. she begged for more her lips moving against his but when he pulled back he kept his arms around her waist. other slowly slipped into gypsy. frank picked her unconscious form up and carried her to his van.

dont get attached right. he thought. he silently cursed himself. who was he kidding? she would never love someone like him. her other half might, but only because she didnt know any better but gypsy would never love him and he still couldnt figure out why he cared.

"you need to go home." frank told her.

"what do you mean?" she looked up at him.

"this life isnt for you. this running. you need something better. karter go find someone who will always be there for you. what about steve?"

"steve? what?" gypsys head was spinning what was he saying?

"ive seen how he looks at you." the punisher didnt look at the woman.

"what are you talking about?!"

"love. karter dont turn out like wont like it." gypsy stiffened.

"and how do you know what i wont or will like?! you. dont. know. me." she threw open the door of the car even though they were going eighty down the freeway. "goodbye." and tumbled out. did she have to make everything more complicated than it was? he slammed his fist onto the wheel. maybe now shed hate him. if she did she wouldnt come back and he wouldnt have to worry about her. she could take care of herself.

gypsy tramped through the woods. what had happened? she looked up at the sky, the way the tree branches bared and sharp like fingers, how they clawed at the sky desperate to reach something beyond their clutches. what had happened? she was so tired of searching for answers. tired of being alone. her heart couldnt muster enough energy to be angry with castle so instead she sunk onto the pineneedled ground. she wished for anything but this. why did he leave her alone again? did no one care? unconsciously she slid back to years before. it was a normal day the soft june wind swooping through her hair she lay propped up on her elbows just enjoying the warmth the day brought. jess was on one side of her jack on the other. jess turned to her his eyes dancing with mischievious light as only the middle childs can.

"gypsy, race you to the lake." gypsy laughed if not a normal carefree child, she could pretend.

"why try jess? you know ill win!" she leapt up and darted off. she did beat jess. but not jack he gained speed till he effortlessly soared past her. jack then gypsy then jess each cannonballed in with their successive splashes. looking off into the distance gypsy silently wished them well. she never thought shed come to this. this far down. the world was forcing her down. crushing her farther and farther till eventually shed give up. but how does one give up when they cant die?

night fell and the sun rose in a glorious splendor gypsy didnt feel the cold. after laying sleeplessly numb all night she stood up and began walking. everything only serves to break you or strengthen you. just another hurdle. gypsy didnt need anyone. she could show him.

once she was back at the shack she donned her trenchcoat and collected her weapons. the sun was setting, the world darkening with a final scream of fiery glory before all was said and done. gypsys mind was set. she would prove herself if it was the last thing she did.


	21. Chapter 21: vigilante

part three: the she-punisher begins.

me: LONG SIGH. what youve all been waiting for! gypsys ready to fight!

steve:did frank HAVE to say that thing about me looking at gysy? you know i wouldnt look at her wrong!

me:frank is just very observant. sorry steve.

peter: livia, gypsy and me are like best buds in all the stories you write so when am i going to meet her?

me:oh yes. im coming to that trust me parker. i just wanted to establish a few other things like how its gong with frank first but youre time is coming!

tony:so now that shes going to be like total punisher is SHIELD going to come after her again?

me:see ive been thinking about that a lot... im going to do some more rsearch with a few frankfics and frank comics then ill be able to establish better how shield will react to her. see the thing is with gypsy as far as other goes SHIELD has already found out how to deal with bruce and hulk so it helps me when writing how theyd deal with other and then of course when she turns into punisher vigilante, i can refer to frank. -smiles widely at the punisher-

frank:well honestly livvy, i dont think you can use me for total reference, ive worn out SHIELD a lot for one and two, i was a very extreme case.

me -considers- yeah youre right. so ill take all that into account. theyve learned how to deal with vigilantes in the most productive manner as well which i think is mainly to leave them alone. theried chasing you around it never worked so maybe they just kinda ignore gypsy-girl?

frank:...yeah possibly. i mean obviously they know im going to rush to her defense in any case even if i wouldnt admit that at the point youre at in the story. they really dont want me busting her out of SHIELD jail.

me: laughs. yes. thats for sure.

frank: and i think also so long as shes killing bad guys and leaves innocets alone theyll leave her alone. shes a reformed villain sfterall. SHIELD cant expect too much out out her. i mean as stupid as that director seems he actually can be smart sometimes.

me LOL

matt murdock: am i going to come in soon?

me: see... im afraid ill botch your character.

matt: that is a dillemma. id say i trust you but honestly i dont. im a tough one to write especially since you havent seen my movie. (cough cough!)

me: -smiles sheepishly- yeah...i havent had a chance to watch it yet.

tony-boy: shes watched ALL my movies. must mean she likes me better..

me! WHOA! WHOA! not the favorite game. i love you all okay? are we cool with that? right now though for the purpose of writing this story i love frank best. but purely because i have to be in gypsy mode.

frank: crosses arms and smiles widely.

two months later...

she was nocturnal. it was the conclusion shed come to after finding it to be the safest and most productive way to fight crime. the city came alive at night with the wrong kinds of people and it wasnt hard to find ones that needed to leave this world. gypsys name was on the tip of scums tongue it found a spot to slid into beside the punishers own. as her infamy grew her heart shrunk. jack, matt those were names another girl knew and loved. if gypsy hung onto them she also had to hang on to herself and then shed realize just how wrong all this was. she was turning into her enemy- she was turning into the other half of herself. but at the same time she wasnt she kept a clear grip on reality and could smell the difference of scum blood from innocent blood as soon as she entered the room. she was careful with her bullets she couldnt judge too rashly. but the lives she did take sjhe took with no remorse. she knew that these ones would only destroy the lives of innocents if she let them live. this was what castle had told her. still she knew she was as guilty as them, the difference? she couldnt kill herself.

peter parker was webbing from building to building. in his bright spiderman get up just enjoying the night when he saw her. he knew it was that fire girl, what did the avengers call her? other? yeah. well no wonder he was way down in the wrong side of town he dropped lightly keeping to the shadows as he watched her. five men surrounded her one still held a smoking gun. other threw her head back even from way over here peter could guess how her red eyes danced. he heard her light laugh.

"really boys? you thought youd kill me with a gun?" her voice was sharp and cutting, feigning casualness. it sent shivers up peters back. she was FREAKY. he heard the men grumble something. and then right before his eyes other raced around them all it was just a flash of her red dress then they all crumpled to the ground peter spotted the blooodied blade in her hand and the blood gushing out of each of the fallen mens backs. then he saw her turn her gaze on him. he gulped and froze. her fingers tightened ever so slightly around the blade as though contemplating gutting him too but then slowly her eyes closed her head rolled back fists tightening in pain then she shifted into someone else. gypsy. peter remembered the name steve had told him with a start. gypsy looked tired she rubbed her head cleaning her blade on her trenchcoat then sliding it back into its sheath. when she looked up again she spotted him. he wasnt easy to miss. he stepped out of the alley. gypsys hazy brain still registered that this dude was no threat. tiredly she stumbled towards a building and crumpled to the dirt ground. she closed her eyes for a moment to still the pounding in her head that usually accompanied explosions. she tried to ignore the boy but when he sat down next to her she was forced to crack open an eye.

"what do you want?" she demanded softly a hoarse whisper.

"sorry. i was just-"

"dont apologize."

"what? oh. okay. um i wont. do you need any help? im spiderman."

"doesnt make any difference to me you could be the devil himself or you could be an angel i dont accept help. from anyone ." but she straightened slightly and both her eyes were opened.

"thats a good philosophy...i mean uh.. bet that keeps you out of trouble..er.." peter stumbled slightly over his words. gypsy couldnt force a tiny smile from escaping.

"whats a hero like you doing in this part of town?" she questioned her tone not so hard as before her calculating gaze softened a little.

"i dunno. honestly i was just out and then i saw you steve told me all about you..." he winced was that the wrong thing to say? at the mention of captain americas name the girl turned away.

"um sorry."

"dont apologize. its not your fault." they were both silent a moment then the woman turned to him again. "how is he? steve that is. is he allright?" her blue eyes shone a little more sadly forcing herself to say the name.

"hes allright... hes changed... since you left. he misses you." peter watched her out of the corner of his eye for her reaction.

"im sorry." she whispered.

"dont apologize." peter smiled crookedly. gypsy looked into his eyes and smiled back..

"caught me in my own trap did you?"her smile faded though as quickly as it had come. in its absence her face looked drawn and aged beyond her years. "i miss him too, a lot. but weve both changed i suppose." it had been so long since shed talked to anyone. really talked to anyone she was halfway suprised the boy was still here.

"you could always go back." peter suggested.

"no," gypsy said it with a sigh. she stood up. "if only it were that easy." peter stood up beside her.

"maybe its easier than you think."

"im a monster. i could kill him with my bare hands. i wont risk his life. i wont let him die." then she started walking away.

"maybe ill see you around?" peter called after her. he saw her head bob in reply before she disappeared down the road.

she knew who she wanted who she needed but didnt want her. his name was hanging in the back of her mind casting long shadows across all her other thoughts. she missed him. she forced herself to admit it. he was the one person her other hadnt killed when given the chance, the one person who somehow managed to help her. would she really never see him again? that couldnt be true. nothing was worth it if she never saw him again. she would stop breathing if she knew she was never going to see him again.

a voice in the back of her head mocked her but she refused to believe it was love. love was a weak thing and she had no more room left for weakness.

gypsy was out again. the night air caressed her wind smelled so different in the darkness. maybe it was that it was thicker, or warmer but the wind seemed to be urgent in its lazy trail. gypsy pulled her trenchcoat tighter around herself locking the doors to her truck which shed parked in an alley. she wasnt out for a specific purpose she was just wandering but when she saw someone she recognized slip inside a boarded up building she followed him. the punisher walked up the stairs and gypsy followed at a cautious distance. she was good at being silent, her form nothing more than shadows and two blue eyes. she was silent as she slipped up the stairs after him. she heard the voices and heard his footsteps cease. peering around the corner she saw him listening for a moment at the door then in one swift movement he shoved the door down and held his gun up ready to fire. gypsy, stealth forgotten cocked her own pistols and held them aloft as she came in after her. he darted a glance at her out of the corner of his eyes. the other five men in the room quickly reached for their own guns but frank was faster before they cocked he shot onewn gypsy quickly fired at one cocking and firing at another just as fast they were all gone quickly when gypsy put her guns away frank was rifling through the drawers shoving papers into his pockets.

"so youre still around?" frank turned to her before brushing by and out the door.

"arent we observant?" gypsy intoned dryly following him back down the staircase and outside into the night air. but just as she was about to go to her truck a car swerved around the corner. it drove right by what gypsy knew to be franks car and as it sped away the explosion lit up the night. the punishers van blew into pieces. frank didnt miss a beat he ran to her truck.

"keys." he said the simple word gypsy inwardly rolled her eyes but she tossed him the keys and slid into the passenger seat.

"does this happen to you often?" she questioned as he roared off down the road. his fingers tightened around the wheel as they gained speed and caght sight of their quarry just as it swerved into an alley. frank, following suit, turned the wheel sharply and flew after them.

"my car getting exploded? cant say it does."

"whos bad side you get o for that to happen?" gypsys fingers gripped the side of her seat to remain in one place as the car twisted sharply and flew around the dark new york streets.

"ive been on these guys trail for a while. ive killed enough of their men for them to get pissed off at me. that building was one of the many bases they have most of the time their better than that."

"oh yeah? so i guess that explains what youve been up to since you told me good riddance." gypsy raised her eyebrows slightly.

"there it is. i knew itd come sooner or later."

"youre a jerk."

"did i ever tell you any differently? lean out the window. you good at doing shotgun?." frank had caught up, swerved around a side street and now was slightly ahead of their quarry he raced through an alley bring them out right in front of them. in reply gypsy leaned out the window frank handed her an automatic and she fired at them they fired back but the punishers had the upperhand. most of the enemies bullets hit the back of the car or zinged by gypsys head but despite the swerving and jostling she eventually took a bullet. she ducked back in the car

"do you want them all dead? any...saved... for...questioning...?" it was hard to get the words out before the change.

"all dead." gypsy couldnt resist any longer she gave in and the other girl ripped out from beneath her skin.. once she was out she grinned at the punisher as she slid out the window bullets hit her sinking deep into her flesh and the wind ripped by her but she clung tightly to the edge of the car as she climbed to the roof once up there she leapt off the back and crashed through the windshield with a splintering crash. their car swerved and while its passengers were still dazed other took her opportunity and shredded all of their guts when she climbed out of the totaled car that was sideways at the edge of the road frank was waiting for her.

"how can i get that invincibility thing?" he asked impressed.

"baby, you dont need it, thats what im here for." she laughed lightly "were a team. right?" she said it almost accusingly her eyes flahing redder. "dont give me any of that 'i work alone' shit " she guessed his thoughts. frank didnt reply. others eyes were fading but she managed to get the words out before the change took her away. "you dont have to work alone anymore. not everyones going to leave you. you cant get rid of me. i promise." then she slid to the ground.

when gyps woke up she was in the car. frank was driving as they neared the shack shed lived in.

"so what are you going to do about your car?" gypsy asked him as she straightened shaking her head gently to dispell the dizziness.

"get a new one."

"did we kill them all?"

"yep." gypsy frowned.

"you better give me more of an explanation than that." he didnt turn his head as he pulled off the road and down the bumpy driveway to the shack.

"not much to tell. you switched into other and it was all over pretty fast." gypsy fell silent. she was just glad to be home she was tired and in need of something strong. she headed inside and pulled out a bottle of jack half empty.

"sorry." she mumbled as she drank it straight from the bottle wincing as it went down. frank shrugged.

"im really not usually this disgusting. nerves i guess. want anything?"

"im fine."

"you can stay if you want the loft i just use for storage move a couple crates around its all yours. ill put a mattress up there "

"thanks but i cant stay." the punisher was already gathering his things together.

"its going to take you forever to get back to whereever it is you live on foot stay here tonight. please." frank looked at her again and nodded. he swung lightly up the ladder and laid out the papers hed collected on the floor. gypsy glanced up at him one last time then slipped into her own bedroom.

...

gypsy rose early to hopefully not miss him leaving she opened her door a bit and pulled her tools and a gun to herself. "show me what its like... to be the last one standing... and teach meee wrong from right, and ill leave this life behind me... and say it to me say it for me, and ill leave this life behind me, say t if its worth saving meeee... heavens gates wont open up for me. with these broken wings im falling. all i seeeee is you... " she sung softly the song by nickelback that was stuck in her head. but when her voice trailed off at the rush of memories another voice picked it up. "these city walls aint got no love for me, im on the ledge of the eighteenth story. and oh, i scream for you..." he stood in front of her. gysy stood up. "did i wake you? sorry." she didnt meet his eyes.

"no i was already awake." he didnt bother to tell her he really hadnt slept at all. she headed into the kitchen and started coffee.

"coffee?" she inquired pulling a mug out of the cupboard her hand poised to grab another.

"blacks fine. you often do solo performances?" gypsy forced a grin down handing him his cup of coffee and taking a sip out of her own.

"usually nobody around but the wind to mock me." the girl shrugged. he took another sip of his coffee then set it down on the counter. carefully compiling his gear he prepared for the day. hed have to head back to his other safehouse outside the city. he had more weapons stashed there. since all the weaons in his van were lost. dammit that sucked! he pulled his trenchcoat on over his gear. he wasnt sure if he was expected to say goodbye or not. so he offered up a wave.

"ill see you round karter."

"kay." her face twisted as he left out the door. she wished... she didnt know what she wished at thois point. she downed the rest of her coffee in one gulp and collected her own gear.


	22. Chapter 22:mission

gypsy didnt know where frank was most days but he came by to her shack sometimes and occasionally theyd help each other on missions. gypsy still found time to see peter and even got to help him out a bit when there was a big accident on the road and the people couldnt get out of the car. gypsy had given into the change and ripped the door off peter and her safely carried the occupants to safety seconds before the car caught fire. by the time the fire department and ambulances finally arrived it would have been too late. gypsy slipped away. but one day gypsy was mostly bored in her shack halfheartedly fixing up guns and mainly just pacing. frank hadnt come by at all in nearly two weeks and she had a sinking feeling of dread that something was wrong.

she flopped down on her bed holding her head in her hands to still the incessant pounding, when the door banged open frank rushed in.

"gypsy." she stood up rushing over to him.

"where have you been ive been worried sick over you?"

" just hold on. and hear me out. their coming for you. SHIELD. i got wind of it and they really mean business. but..." he looked into her eyes "it doesnt have to end like this. we can run. right now. ive escaped SHIELD before ill help you. you dont have to be caged the rest of your life." gypsy shook her head.

"i cant. this is what i deserve." frank shook his head.

"no you dont. come with me, we can solve this together." his eyes bored into hers desperately.

"there going to get me one way or another. like you said, they mean business. no use fighting it. i wont let ou get mixed up in this." gypsy took a step away from him away from the door and freedom. "go, before they get here."

"karter...please. it doesnt have to end like this."

"there was a time id have followed you to the ends of the earth if you let me," gypsy whispered hoarsely. "but ive grown up. and now i know love is about sacrifices. if i went with you it would be purely to save my own skin. i cant put you in danger ill face the consequences. theyve been long in coming but theyve finlly caught up. i wont leave so dont try to change my mind." she tilted her chin up but her eyes looked sad. her sacrafice was going to cost her dearly. he took a step towards her leaned down and pressed his lips over hers then just like that he was gone. gypsy listened to his engine till it was out of earshot then she heard the choppers.

SHIELD came in with a rush. the director leading the charge to what was expected to be a fight but gypsy went easily and willingly. once they arrivd back at hq instead of escorting her to the cell that shed lived in all those months they led her down a different hallway. computers buzzed with enery as agents busily worked. the room was chaos. organized chaos. the director led her through that large room and into a more quiet office. once he shut the door he sat down behind the desk. gypsy took a hesitant seat in front of him.

"so you think youre in trouble right? youre getting called to the principals office?" when she didnt reply the drector nodded. "i thought so. actually we brought you here to request youre help. this morning a message came in from another world. it was meant to be received somewhere else but somehow we intercepted it." what did this have to do with her? gypsy wondered but for the tie being she was just relieved to not be in that cage. "good thing we did too. it seems one of the other realm intends to wage war against us." he watched her reaction carefully. "this other world was trying to get a message to one of its people an otherworlder. well i couldnt remember dealing with any other worlders since loki and thor, so at first i nearly forgot about you, our special case. you see, youre oher side came here on a mission it was i suppose a test run. the only way this worlds people could come into ours. her purpose was to primarily weaken us but also to see if it was possiblee if it worked they might be able to find more candidates that matched up. they seem to think it worked and are going to find more humans to-"

"turn into monsters." gypsy interrupted.

"yes. and then they will hopefully conquer our realm but now that weve been made aware of their plans their realm is not very strong. other one of the few trueblood warriors they have. most of their kind are weak and not the least bit invincible. my point is that we can easily defeat them." gypsy squinted at him.

"then why do you need my help if your not afraid?"

"because," the director patiently explained. "we dont want to go to war this realm could have allies, we dont know entirely what were up against so instead we need you and your other girls help. we want to negotiate peace. war is and always will be a last resort. we can easily crush them. but we dont want to resort to that not if we can help it."

"what do you want me to do?"

the strategy was risky a faint hope that hung in the balance all depending on two sides of one girl. gypsy knew her part by heart. she was doing something big something important. something a hero would do. she wanted to tell peter wanted to tell frabut with planning there was no time. the only way to negotiate peace was to go there and the only person who could do that was gypsy.

"its the only way. let her out. if anyone knows how to get there its the person whos home it is." steve gave her hand a gentle squeeze as the glass doors shut closing gypsy inside. shed nreally had to call on her other side she was always right there ready and waiting and once gypsy released the otherirl gripped onto it and easily came out her form shifted to switch into the other girls. ausual she came out wearing her red dress with a trenchcoat over it. when she saw the clustered heroes outside her cage nd that 'just too charming' one eyed director her eyes lit up.

"its been a while hasnt it? id say its a pleasureo see you all but im sure it isnt on your side." she laughed lightly.

"miss other it seems your kind is trying to reach you. do you remeber how to get back?" the director didnt flinch or waver at all as her gaze shifted to hi. her tongue flicked out and around wettinger lips like a carnivorous cat.

"why would i tell you sweet heart?"

"because the fate of your world depends on it." he looked her as close as right in her eyes as anyone could manage. "im going to be honest with you, if youre people launc an attack we will crush them. i would like to help them insteade could be allies. with youre help you can save your world." others face switched to the closest ting to serious as it could mange. "we need you to go home and relay our preposition for them. we want to help your world." other laughed.

"like you care about helping anyone but yourselves. youve been waiting to crush us flat. everyone knows your world doesnt care about anything but themselves."

"thatused to be true but now were oa solution to the benefit of all. its your decision though. its your world thats going to help." others eyes flamed hotter.

"FINE! " she screeched.

reluctantly they allowed her out of the cage. other laughed at the agents fear she kept darting glances back and flicking her tongueand laughing at them just to see their fingers tighten around the triggers ever so slightly.

"this could take a while. ive never had to actiually try before but treggataught this to me in case of an emergency." she was beside that handsome captain america andhe director as they headed to the roof. when she got their she already feher grip slipping.

"shoot me. keep firing. i wont attack foolish mortals just shoot me unless you want that useless karter back." she sat down on the ground letting the bullets pound ino her to keep her alive she closed her eyes searching. she let words slide out like snakes in water they flowed up to the skies. she kept talking just words useless noises that bounced off her listeners ears. her voice went louder she searched the skies for an opening. for treggar. possibly hours passed or possibly only seconds but other felt her grip slipping. she hao get in fast. she saw her opening , summoning all the strength she had left she called out to treggar to bring her back. shedidnt move a muscle but tried to force herself up into the skies back home. just as she lost herself to karter shfelt the ground of her homeland beneath her feet.


	23. Chapter 23: peace?

it was dark. was the first thing gypsy noted the sun looked like a bright red eye burning in the despite the heat it gave in shifting rays the heat washed over her, despite that, it wasnt very different. the ground looked the same. gypsy was still gathering her bearings and rying to comprehend what had happened when she noticed the person in front of her. his eyes bored into hers. he was old but fairly tall his eyes were watery gray and knowing.

"karter?" he hesitantly asked gypsy didnt have a chance to wonder how he knew her name she just nodded."what...howd you get here?" he looked so confused.

"i have a message from midgard. from other."

"other?" now he realy looked skeptical. oh... gypsy thought numbly, of course that wasnt what other was known by at her own home, she had a real name.

"the girl your world sent down?" gypsy asked hesitantly.

"tasi." he replied bluntly. "youre going to have to come with me and talk to the superiors."

when he led her indoors gypsy quickly realized she was going to have trouble convincing these people. they were preparing for an all out war, but the director was right: theyd be crushed by midgard. they looked at her coldly and she knew acutely that strangers, especially midgardian strangers, were quite unwelcome. treggar had been more friendly and shed thought he was aloof. so this was where other, or tasi rather, had grown up. that explained a lot. every eye was boring into her. gypsy cleared her throat nervously.

"um hi. im from midgard. gypsy karter." at her name a silent understanding passed between each member in the room a few nods were exchanged but mainly it was the looks that passed that unnerved gypsy.

"im here to negotiate peace. my world, midgard, has made a proposition to become allies with you. they do not want to fight. i come with peaceful tidings." collective grumblings met with gypsys words only treggar was silent.

"karter," his eyes searched hers. "if what you say is true, that midgard wishes to help us... how did they find out about the war in the first place?"

"a message was intercepted by their sattelites it was meant for someone else." gypsy told him honestly. no use lying. "midgard is strong but we do not wish to fight you. we want to help you. if our realms bonded together it could prove beneficial to both parties."

the debate was on. some were not all that eager to trust a realm that could so easily crush them, others were adamant against it and claimed war was the only way to combat them, others wanted an alliance with midgard and agreed that it could be benificial, treggar was in the latter party. gypsy knew if they chose war she would be forced, in the form of other to fight against her world. but she had to hope it didnt come to that. treggar pulled her out of one of the meetings and as he led her down the hallway he turned to her.

"please show us the girl, tasi. shes the only one that can convince them." his eyes were brimming with hope.

"does it look good so far? the odds for peace?" gypsy asked him. he shook his head.

"its so divided its hard to tell the majority wants to war but many of the trueblood warriors like tasi herself refuse to war. the trueblood warriors are our only hope. as you have undoubtedly learned even just one trueblood warrior can do exponential damage." gypsy nodded grimly.

"the girl remains our only hope." gypsy nodded calling to her as she slipped into oblivion.

tasi embraced her guardian tightly. her smile slipping and tears spilling over. coming home made her feel like a little girl again, safe in her guardians arms away fromthe horrors of midgard.

"my dear is it true what the girl said?" treggar pulled back first.

"yes. every word. we must have peace its the only way. their scientists have been working on a serum to destroy our kind a kind of vaccine so we cant latch onto them. they are strong, wise, and preparing for battle. we will fail." treggar nodded. everything affirmed. others red eyes searched down the hallway.

"ill go see the superiors." she whispered straightening and putting on her bravest smile.

"youve changed tasi."

"i have." it was true she wasnt the same gir she was before everything had changed her when she first came to midgard she had acutely realized her own weakness but shed toughened untill she was a machine only to be broken by a human a human she loved and she thought might love her.

"without the war, you dont need to be down there," treggar said as though reading her thoughts. "but you can. theirs still a fight to be had if we make an alliance. you will always have a purpose as a warrior and a hero whether its to our world or theirs." other bent her head to the ground. when she looked up again her eyes brimmed slightly.

"thankyou treggar."

"i love you tasi. always remember that. now go show them what we really should fight for not against. " other smiled turned and with her guardians words filling her she strode into the meeting hall. every eye turned to her she was alive with power, purpose, passion and it commanded the respect of every eye in the room.

"my people," she spoke loudly her voice filling every ear. "i have lived among my enemies for all this time ive grown been broken, healed and adapted, ive been forced to realize things i never thought possible. but i, better than anyone know that if you go down there prepared for war you will fail. but midgard is not waging war it is requesting peace it wants us on their side. it wants to help us fight our battles and have help fighting its own. midgard is offering to strengthen us aswell as taking out our greatest threat: itself. i like you believed in our power once but now its not a question of our might or our power its a question of our values. were not proving anything but stupidity by waging war against a country thats at peace with us. instead of an enemy my people use this as an opportunity to create an ally." the room was silent after others words. then treggar from across the room yelled at the top of his lungs.

"FOR PEACE!" while pumping a clenched fist skyward. other smiled as other voices joined his cry.

"FOR PEACE! PEACE! PEACE! PEACE!" she released slowly knowing that everything would turn out riht. as gypsy slid back into consciousness she was greeted more warmly.

"i guess that means peace has been decided then." gypsy slid up to treggar.

"FOR PEACE!" he grinned then lauged at her confused expression. "maybe another time. its a long story. i must say.i dont know whats happened since tasi left but shes changed a lot. im glad weve gotten this whole war mess settled i didnt have too much peace about it lately. i suppose when youve been living under the thumb of another, stronger world all your life, or thats what everyone tells you anyway, i suppose it drives you to do some stupid things. but you my dear and tasi have together opened our eyes." he laughed again. "why i havent laughed in years." he clapped gypsy on the back, who broke out into a grin. "ever since i was young our worlds purpose was to become stronger for war, all the while we were weakening, now that we dont fear war i dont know what were going to do with ourselves." gypsy considered.

"the worlds open. whatever you want." he nodded.

"karter, i do believe you should be getting yourself home." treggar placed a hand on her shoulder as he guided her into a room he quickly flipped a few switches and a portal opened.

"tell your people peace has been decided but we will continue to communicate with them to make arrangments. if we can do it once by accident we can surely do it again." gypsy looked into the portal and home she looked back at treggar.

"thankyou. this is an experience i wont ever forget." then she slipped out. it was a rush and then she was back on the rooftop. home. shed gone to another world! wow! that was amazing. shed never before thought THAT would happen. it was amazing. truly amazing.


	24. Chapter 24: villain?

sorceress supreme: yes, gypsy DOES need frank. all in good time though. i have a lot of fun writing peters character. hes such a kid. i love it when he does hero worship, im going to throw some of that in there soon. i have an idea. mwehehehe. it might be in this chapter or the next. hope you enjoy the update!

"listen rogers," the director spoke authoritevely. this discussion was getting more intense than he would have liked. "shes a vigilante what makes you think she has any desire to become a hero?"

"she needs this. i know her. i think its the only way. you dont have to accept her into SHIELD or even give her notice ill train her and you decide if shes ready or not. but if its me reading the signs that out there proves it. she CAN become a hero. i believe in her." the director of SHIELD considered a moment.

"whatever you feel like you need to do rogers but ive washed my hands of her. so long as she isnt slaughtering innocents coldblood-"

"she wont." the captain america clenched his fist slightly his muscled arm tensed as he gritted his teeth. "shes changed. she never was a villain her other side was."

"ah... then tell me what you plan on doing with that insane other?" the director leaned forward confidentially his eyes lighting up placng both his hands palms side down on top of his desk. steve barely hesitated half a second.

"lately shes gotten more of a grip on it. she knows when its going to explode and when she cant control it- she runs. the cage will always be open for her explosions."

"what if she doesnt want to go back to that cage?" the director questioned smirking slightly.

"i trust her." steve asserted firmly, leaving no room for argument.

...

after his conversation with the director steve left to find the girl in question. she had departed after relaying her news of peace but rogers asked her if she might stay so he could ask her something. gypsy hesitantly agreed and admitted shed be by the cage waiting for him. now steve came into view and he saw her sitting on the ground facing the cage she didnt seem to notice him yet or atleast she didnt turn her head to acknowledge his presence.

"hey rogers whats up?" he was suprised when she spoke. she turned her head after a moment to look at him as she stood up.

"hey gypsy," he started carefully choosing his words. he ran a hand throuh his thick blond hair.

"spill." she urged apathetically. he took a breath before doing so.

"gypsy... ive been speaking with the director and i believe you are ready to begin training. i would be your trainer later you can come on missions and hep people, save innocents..."

"you want ME to be a hero?" she asked with more than a little incredulity. her eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"yes." he answered immediately. "we can work together fury already has missions piled up i need to go to you could..." gypsys mind fazed out the next of his words. she was lost in thought. a hero? she wasnt a hero! she was a vigilante!... and yet being a vigilante could never wash her hands of the innocents blood... she knew that. but maybe... being a hero could. to her it sounded like atonement and she was in desperate need of that. her eyes filled slowly and steve stopped what he was saying. she could do it for matt... for jack... for jess... she could help people. there were always people that needed saving. always people who needed hope. who needed a miracle. she pulled the strap of her gun off her shoulder and analyzed it a moment. steve was silent she finally looked up to meet his eyes. her own were filled with pain and overflowing memories. the eyes of one who has died, been six feet under, walked through hell. the eyes of one who was seeing hope. hope for forgiveness. hope for atonement. she dropped her gun letting it clatter uselessly to the floor. that sound spoke volumes. more than she could ever express in words. atonement.

...

"anger isnt bad." captain america showed her how to wrap her hands in the cloth then did his own tightly and deftly as he did every morning. "its fuel. you just have to learn how to take that anger those memories and convert it into power. you dont have to kill to release anger." he set a hand on the punching bag hed previously hung up. gypsy nodded. she knew all about anger. flooding her veins, tainting her thoughts red. red with blood and all consuming fire. anger was a bullet that sunk deep into a scums heart or exploded his head brains and tissue splattering across the room. anger was pulling the trigger. anger was being a vigilante helping the good by taking out the evil that seemed to exist in ever increasing numbers. steve was still talking as he pounded his fists at the bag. each swing was deft and accurate power tightening his muscles as his fist met with the material of the bag.

"i like... -right punch left punch- to think...-right punch left punch- about things...-right punch left punch- i wish i would...-right punch left punch- have done differently." he paused turning to look at her. "give it a go." gypsy stepped forward as he stepped aside she bent down slightly into an easy attackers stance she tightened her arms pulling them close to herself then she let fly. right left. right left. for jess! and saving him from the likes of anthony! for matt saving him from herself!

...

she trained for months steve bringing in various opponents for her to combat to test her skills. her determination made her progress quickly. and steve was a good instructor always praising her successes but not forgetting her faults and using them against her to help her overcome them. he was patient and always calm. never losing his cool. when gypsy was ready to explode she always rushed up to the cage. once however she didnt make it quite in time. other popped out suddenly rearing her ugly head when gypsy landed wrong as her opponent shoved her to the ground. other couldnt take losing and she was furious. steve didnt miss her eyes flashing red and quickly he told the agent to back up. at his urgent tone the black clad agent complied. still panting heavily himself from their drawnout fight. gypsys breathing shuddered pain rippling through her like poison. she knew she had to run to the cage but she couldnt seem to move.

...

other rose slowly as her form effortlessly continued to shift. she smiled widely at the red white and blue captain her eyes ignoring the black clad one. he was useless. SHIELD cronie. red eyes bright she glanced pointedly at the tranq gun the good captain clutched. he fired but she effortlessly dodged.

"why?" she twisted her head to force him to meet her eyes. no one could hold her gaze on midgard and she knew it. "you still think im a monster dont you? karter spreading rumors about me?" she laughed harshly. "why ill have to have a talk with her. put the gun down." the last part she said steely as he fired again he lowered his weapon tilting his chin up.

"other, we just need gypsy." he spoke authoritively. she saw the agent creeping surreptitiously towards an emergency button on the wall. she was over in half a second and threw him away from the wall with a swift brush. he skidded across the floor at the force of her blow but leapt back up just as quickly though he didnt make any move to attack.

"tell me," other had the upperhand they were trapped and she knew it. "did you not think this could happen eventually?"

"i was hoping to appeal to your better nature." he stated clearly watching her carefully.

"no," her eyes slitted a softer but not any less intimidating smile formed on her lips. "you dont believe that do you? me have a better nature? me who you believe to be a monster? thats all i am isnt it? ISNT IT?!" she raised her voice proppelling her voice forward by leaning towards him anger filled her every feature. she could save their world from hers but would they ever believe she was more than a monster? a villain? she straightened lowering her chin as she took a step towards him.

"tell. me. the. truth." there was no use lying she could read these simple minded midgardians like books.

"you saved our world."

"from my kind. youre still not answering my question darling." her smile was back up but her voice was dangerously low. the calm before the storm as the sky gathers all its pent up fury to release in one horrific torrent. she took another step towards him, keeping her eye on the agent out of the corner of her eyes.

"everyone has a better nature." steve stated firmly but other knew he didnt believe himself. she smiled.

"i see." then she darted out of the room in a flash of red she was out the back door. she heard the sirens going off even as she raced away.

gypsy was tugging almost immediately to regain her grip and when she heard the pounding oersized footsteps of a certain green rage monster not far behind her she stopped in her tracks and turned around to meet him head on.

"ah theres the avengers mascot." other called gleefully intending to make him angrier. he just growled still a distance away. his growl shook the very ground the otherworlder stood on. she smiled widely red eyes flashing now THIS woul be a good fight.

"COME AT ME BRO!" she giggled infectously as he barrelled towards her. following suit she leapt lightly into the air and took off running at him he swung with his oversized fist but she dodged only making him angrier. her fingers clawed three marks across his green skin. he roared angrily fuming he tossed her off of him. she landed hard on the ground the concrete caving in around her small form. she barely managed to dodge out of the way of his foot as it swiftly came down on the spot where shed been thrown. she concentrated on energy on anger on power it was going to take everything she got even to dent this big guy. she darted around him. she raised her fist and struck him swiftly leaping up- a blow under his jaw at the impact he stumbled back slightly. shaking his head as though he were amazed she could even touch him.

"lesson one: never underestimate your enemy." she stated clearly. he roared, swiftly swinging his fist it met its mark and she soared across into a tall office building. crashing through rooms with extraordinary force. she leapt up as soon as she gathered her bearings which didnt take long. she saw him barelling towards her and rushed right by and out of the conplex. she grabbed the closest thing in reach- a taxi parked on the side of the road. she hurled it at him just as he was coming out with it she tossed a hand grenade after pulling out the pin. it hit him and exploded in a horrendous explosion. choppers were quickly filling the sky newscrews determined to catch footage of the fighting.

"cmon big guy! gimme a better fight than that!" she was teasing him she wanted to see hw much he had. was he truly invincible? must be- hadnt died yet. it was a clash of immovable forces. neither could die and the longer the battle raged the more energized other became and the angrier the hulk became. his roar split through the aftermath of the latest explosion. he leapt through the skies and landed fist down on the concrete. the concrete rippled under the sudden impact cracking and splitting as though an earthquake rocked the new york ground. people from farther away screamed as their world was shaken buidings toppled and fell cars flew. but everything was lost to those two except each other. he rose towering over her as he glared. other laughed.

"youre pretty hot you know that?" she grinned widely her dress flying behind her in the wind of his earblasting roar screamed right into her face. once he was finished other wiped the spittle off her face pointedly. "youre cute when youre angry but maybe brush youre teeth next time?" he swung. she darted then leaped onto his back she clung tightly around his neck fingers digging into his skin. she felt him lean forward one... ready to slam her into the concrete by falling backwards... two... he tensed then pushed off with his feet three... he was in the air other leapt off his back and he slammed hard into the concrete. he leapt up and grabbed her inside his fist. at first he squeezed and other felt her rib cage being crushed only to be strengthened. it hurt but it wouldnt kill her. she bent her neck her mouth poised to bit his hand. she smiled up at him then bit down- hard. her teeth sinking deep into hi flesh her tongue running over his green leathery skin. then she was flying through the air as he hurled her. she landed hard on the ground and lightly picked herself up.

"oh no. youve gone and ruined my dress..." she frowned eyebrows pinching together in dismay as she looked down at the torn and filthy red fabric that once was silky and flowy. "thats going on your credit card." she muttered. she looked up and saw the SHIELD choppers at the same time hulk did.

"well baby boy it looks like ive gotta fly." he quickly grabbed her before she could race off.

"ANGRY GIRL FACE THEM SAME AS HULK." he stated authoritively.

"other." she muttered. struggling to loosen herself in his vicelike grip. "names other."


	25. Chapter 25:aftermath

when gypsy woke up in hulks fist after she shifted she looked around surveying the damage. hulk was shifting down she slipped out of his grasp and dropped lightly to the ground. it was a disaster. she wondered if anyone had gotten hurt. she bit down hard on her lip. she could only hope not. she couldnt take it if other had hurt more innocents. not again! right when she was becoming a hero... would this mess up everything? would steve realize she was a lost cause like she already knew? would he give up on her? bruce was back and rubbing his head as the chopper landed aways away. he looked at her then his brown eyes took in the damage around them.

"im sorry bruce. it was my fault."

"no, its okay it was both of our faults. ill take the blame same as you." he straightened squaring his shoulders preparing for the inevitable as the director strode towards them. gypsy rushed past bruce.

"it was my fault. i exploded. i didnt get to the cage in time im sorry." the directors one eye bored into her. he didnt reply which unnerved the desperate girl. bruce shook his head rushing forward to throw in his two cents.

"no it was my fault. she hadnt hurt anyone... not till hulk... not till i came to fight her." he looked down at the ground shifting his gaze tentatively up. "she took it as a challenge. it wasnt her fault though. who knows what she might have done if he hadnt come after her." as the doctor explained this steve, came running up. he had his mask on and his shield clutched firmly in his grasp. he looked prepared for battle but all that was left now of the two creatures exolosion was the aftermath... quite a bit of aftermath at that.

"when she exploded i the basement she didnt hurt me or the agent that caused her to explode." steve didnt mention that shed thrown the agent across he room. he hadnt been injured badly and other had done it so more agents wouldnt be informed. every eye was on the director awaiting his decree. gypsy was suprised bruce had stook up for her. the directors gaze shifted calculatingly.

"get in the helicopter were going back to hq." nobody rgued with that.

...

"hey banner... thanks for sticking up for me. i appreciate it." they were still in the air flying back to the tower and she figured now was a good a time as any to make amends.

"dont mention it." he told her gently. "it wasnt your fault like i said." gypsy shook her head.

"it WAS my fault though. i know that but you saved my skin. i want to be a hero... like you guys. you gave me another chance. thankyou." bruce bent his head to the ground. nervous at her gratitude. tony noticed his science bros discomfort and stepped in- or sat down rather. he took the seat beside bruce and wrapped an arm across his shoulder.

"musta been a helluva fight." he gently ruffled bruces thick bron locks playfully. bruce pushed him away. he didnt like human touch and his friend knew that... tony was just so..._invasive_. undettered, the suitless ironman continued to speak. "too bad we only arrived for the last part. im sure it was amazing..." his eyes lit up as though even now he could see it. "both of you are invincible... your little angry chic against the hulk!" he whistled lowly. "it could easily be a fight that lasts forever." gypsys glared at him.

"you better shut up or your face wont last forever." her gaze was daggers aimed at him. "he doesnt want to talk about it. cant you see that?" tony frowned affecting a pouty expression.

"i was just trying to help him out." he smiled teasingly at the girl. "sides YOU started it." gypsy stood up fists clenched stark was infuriating.

"ill end it too!" he watched her as though he thought quite the opposite. steve placed a hand on gypsys arm. she wanted to rip out every last one of the ironmans guts and... she took a deep breath feeling her eyes flash at her wn anger.

"nah," he muttered casually. "i dont hit girls." gypsy broke then.

"DONT HIT GIRLS?! YOU DONT HIT GIRLS?!" she lowered her voice when steve hurriedly shushed her.

""gypsy... hes just trying to get you freaked out. its okay he doesnt mean it." while steve tried to calm gypsy he darted a warning glare at the iron man who smiled infectously back at him. gypsy lowered her tone with another deep breath.

"im glad i dont play by the same rules or else i wouldnt be able to hit your shit-face." that said she sat back don determining not to let stark gt to her. she wouldnt lose her cool anymore because of his stupidity. never again.

...

when they arrived back at SHIELD steve disappeared down the hall with the director. she watched him get lost in the maze of agents. bruce offered up a small smile.

"its okay. i think fury was going to assign him a mission. i think were fine... hopefully." he didnt sound too convinced.

"youre boyfriend will return dont worry girly girl." tony muttered as he breezed by them and down the hall to his lab. gypsy wanted to ignore him but the words slipped out anyway.

"hes not my boyfriend!" she called in the sweetest voice she could manage. she rolled her eyes and walked down the opposite hall down to the basement where she could picture that bastard starks face on her punching bag.


	26. Chapter 26: darkness

the night was long for the girl. she wasnt sure if shed really slept at all. when rogers finally headed down to the basement to see if she was still up to tell her the news, he was pleasantly suprised when she was.

"gypsy. youre awake." she lowered herself from the steel bar and dropped as he tromped down the stairs.

"couldnt sleep. youre up late too. or early rather i suppose." she darted a glance at the clock on the wall with its red glowing numbers/

"yeah i just got finished talking to fury. he has a mission for us tomorrow." gypsy raised her eyebrows.

"really?"

"nothing big. not yet but its progress." gypsy nodded rubbing her palm with her finger and cracking her neck.

"the pirate really trusts me enough for this?" she yawned her jaw cracking as her mouth widened.

"ike i said its nothing big yet but yeah therell be bigger ones soon. im sure of it."

"thanks rogers. i appreciate everything youve done for me. its great really. i just want you to know im grateful." she looked him in the eyes then looked down. rogers looked slightly uncomfortable at that. he took a step towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"gypsy youre worth it. i believe in you. you are a hero. youve always been on the inside. it just took the villain inside of you to wake you up. you should get some sleep. well leave early tomorrow." gypsy wondered if shed HAVE any time to sleep if they were leaving early but she didnt broach the question.

"ill be fine. you should get some sleep yourself." she turned away heading bck to a set of weights shed left on the ground. steve paused a moment before replying.

"goodnight gypsy."

"night." she didnt turn to look at him till she heard his footsteps heading up the stairs. she set her face. she couldnt help ut wander back to the darkness. her mind was always swirling being with someone kept the darkness at bay but once she was alone the dark mists and swirling black thoughts overtook her. she lay down on the bench press. up and down as she let her thoughts flow. unhinderred the picture behind her eyelids kept getting worse. but as the ascending memories reached closer to their peak gypsy remained unchanged. jack was screaming when anthony beat him. their biological father shoved him and punched the siblings older brother. jess and gypsy were hiding back in the shadows. jack curled into a fetal position laying almost limp on the hard tile floor. anthony grunted giving his form one last kick. gypsy was crying, sobbing really she wanted to scream wanted to rush out and defend her brother but jack held his hand over her mother and clung tightly to her arm. he whispered calming words that passed beneath young gypsys notice. their brother was bleeding out on the floor and she was hiding?! it wasnt right! she should be out there! helping him or atleast trying to. she felt weak. weak and useless as those she loved were put through immeasurable pain. once she had rushed out. that time the two younger siblings were hiding in a closet and anthony beat jack with a stick. he was yelling drunkenly with each strike. gypsy shoved jess aside and rushed forward. she rammed into anthony and theimpact and suprise of someone attacking him caused their biological father to stumble back. gypsy threw uselessly weak little girl punches. tears streamed down her cheeks. but it was all over in moments. jack was picking himself up off the groud and jess was rushing to help gypsy but no one made it in time. anthony had hell inscribed across his furious features. he raised his stic and brought it down hard. he managed three strikes before gypsy crumpled to the ground uncnscious. he continued to beat her limp form till jess scooped her up. jack shoved anthony back and then the two siblings hobbled and ran upstairs. they locked the door but knew if anthony wanted to beat them more. a mere door wouldnt hold him back. it never had before. nonetheless they locked it and jess set gypsy down on the bed while he helped jack to a chair to see about his injuries. jacks leg was the worst a long cut running jaggedly down his calf other than that mainly bruises, minor scrapesand cuts. jack looked over at gypsy.

"why...ow." he gritted his teeth as jess helped him clean up his wounds. "did. you let. her...mmm..." he set his mouth in a grim line as jess continued to administer his untrained care.

"sorry bro."

"its okay. whyd you let gypsy go out after him?" jess carefully picked amber glass from the beer bottle out of the deep cut.

"im sorry. i didnt think she would d that." jess managed weakly. there was no apology one could make when looking at their little sister unconscious in the bed. it brought tears to jesses eyes. he was only eight but he knew his role well. nothing that happened to either of the boys mattered so long as gypsy remained safe. jack heaved a sigh. as jess wrapped his cut.

"dont lt it happen again."

...

now gypsy heaved a sgh sitting up and rubbing the side of her head. though she hadnt heard this particular conversation shed heard enough like it to know what the boys must have said after shed been injured again. now they were both gone. shed never ever see them again. not just her brothers, not just her protectors, it meant so much more than that. two people who would love her unconditionally and both ultimately gave up their lives for her. both made the ultimate sacrifice. for her. shed never deserved it and still wished anthony had killed her instead of jess. she wished it desperately. if he had shed never have become a monster. if he had maybe both jack and jess would be alive... and matt. and all those countless innocents shed slughtered in her other form. she stood up walking slowly over to the window. it was dark ouside but nothing could compare to the darkness inside. inside her very soul. her heart her mind. it had long since evolved from shifting shadows and cobwebs to lights out full blackness. she didnt deserve to be alive... so why was she getting so many second chances? why her when no one? the very people shed slaughtered because of her second chances could attest that SHE should be six feet under. but she wasnt. she was here. thriving and alive. a villain a monster. entirely all too guilty. the blood was thick as it washed over her. the blood of thousands of innocents. their blood covered her and she was drowning without uttering a single word.

...


End file.
